Sporadic Confidence
by Northlane
Summary: Shinji's confidence comes and goes, just like the wind. During 15th Angel period and after. [Shinji x Asuka] [Kaworu x Rei]
1. Disclaimer

**Please Read This Before You Go Further!**

**Disclaimer Notice**: Another Fanfiction about Evangelion. If I owned the series, there would be a whole new season. In short, I don't own anything that could make me money… except my brain.

**Author's Notes**: Alright people. This is my second Fanfiction ever, have fun with it. It's another Asuka and Shinji fanfiction. I'll post this story in chapters (One every week or so.)

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Special Thanks to:

Draknal – Thanks for helping me out with this fic. I appreciate your proofreading.

Mountain Dew - Thanks for keeping me up long enough to write this.

My English I Honors Teacher- Just kidding, you're an asshole!

"…" is spoken

'…' is thought or telepathically communicated

'…' is typed (I know it's confusing, but don't worry, there's not much typing)


	2. Catatonic

**Foreword: **Alright people, I've been sitting on this story for a little while, and I decided it was time to post some of the chapters I got done. Without much more ado, here's Chapter 1.

**A Special Thanks to: **Draknal. He's my proofreader, and I'd have missed MANY mistakes if it weren't for him. Thanks, man.

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Catatonic

"Father! I need to help Asuka!" Shinji cried out, tears barely visible on his face. "It's doing things to her… She can't _take_ it!"

The anguished screams and moans of pain made Shinji flinch visibly.

Gendo Ikari, Commander of NERV, sat there patiently, "Are you quite finished yet? No. You will stay in the cages on standby."

The young man was livid and shaking with rage, "You… _You_… _YOU BASTARD! _What would you do if it was _REI_ out there"

The Commander glared even harder at Shinji, "That is irrelevant! _This_ is the situation! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to… Fuyutsuki… take care of this."

With that said Gendo stood up and exited the room, the Sub-Commander eyeing him cautiously.

Once the Commander had left, Fuyutsuki barked into the communications system, "Shinji! Get out there! Gendo may not think Pilot Sohryu is an asset to us, but both you and I believe otherwise!"

In a softer voice, he whispered, "I promised her that I won't let you become another Gendo…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"_EVA LAUNCH!_" Shinji screamed at the top of his lungs.

Misato took a step back, "Er- What _he_ said!"

Unit 01 was a blur of violet as it shot towards surface level. The ride would have normally thrown Shinji against his chair, but he was too anxious to get into the fray to worry about something as insignificant as gravity.

Unit 02 was curled up into a ball and was wilting under the baleful gaze of Arael, the 15th Angel. An occasional whimper or moan could be heard coming from the pilot at random intervals. The once proud Asuka was reduced to a weeping child.

With a feral roar, Unit 01 charged towards her Evangelion. He shoved Asuka out of the way and could feel the searing fingers draped across his brain as the Angel worked its magic.

He grunted in pain and managed to speak, "S-So… you l-like playing… w-with other people's m-minds… d-do you…?"

Unit 01 seemed to shrink in stature, but a shining yellow light enveloped it, bolstering his strength. Shinji struggled to stand, and seemed to reach out to the Angel.

"S-So you want to see how my l-life's been? _SAVOR THIS! 'CAUSE THIS IS YOUR FIRST TASTE OF JUST HOW FUCKED UP I AM!_"

Shinji felt his mind reaching out, just as the Angel's mind was doing. Like searing fingers, the Angel probed the Third Child's mind, digging deeper and deeper with its soiled fingers, bringing up his most painful memories. The pain was excruciating, but Shinji was fighting for the right reasons… He was fighting to protect something.

Instead of digging up memories blindly, somehow, Shinji was forcing Arael to relive his memories _with_ him. A being such as Arael was not meant to feel such overpowering emotions, such as sadness, disgust, and rage.

Far in orbit around the Earth, the 15th Angel was flailing wildly. Its once luminescent body was quickly becoming a lifeless gray.

It was coming down…

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Gendo Ikari slapped Shinji hard across the face, "LEAVE!"

The weeping child cried out with tears streaming down his cheeks, "But why daddy? Can't I stay with you? Don't you want me?"

In response, Gendo turned on his heel and began walking down the street.

The young boy cried harder and fell to his knees, "I knew it… I _am_ worthless."

Shinji, the fourteen year old Eva pilot, staggered and fell to his knees, exactly like his younger self, hiding his face in his hands.

'No… No… No… Not this… Why are you doing this? Do you hate us that much?'

Shinji was ripped out of his musings as he felt a large impact in close proximity to his own Eva.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

The 15th Angel had fallen from the sky and was twitching. Unit 00 had mobilized and was advancing upon the Angel with caution, edging closer and closer. It was apparent that Arael wouldn't make any other movements, so Rei unceremoniously cut the S2 organ from its body and it shattered in her hand.

Asuka shivered and regained a minimal amount of control over her Eva. She sat up and glanced around, 'I should be dead…'

Upon seeing Shinji, she flew into a rage, "_YOU! YOU IDIOT! YOU JUST HAD TO SAVE THE LITTLE GIRL FROM THE TERRIBLE BEAST, DIDN'T YOU? YOU ALWAYS PLAY THE HERO, AND I'M SICK OF IT!_"

Asuka was on top of Shinji, pounding away at Unit 01 over and over again. The nerve connections were finally severed once Misato realized what was going on.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Asuka sat in her room. There was no light. There was no order. There was only chaos. Her room was in complete disarray, but that paled in comparison to her mind.

'That bastard… always being the hero… Why did he save me…? I'm just going to hold him back… I've never even killed an Angel alone before… Why would Shinji waste his time saving _me?_ It's not like I've done anything good for him… This is my fault… _I_ should be in the coma… not him… Dummkopf…'

Misato Katsuragi ripped open the door to Asuka's room, "We're going."

Asuka looked up to her, hidden tears dripping down her cheeks, "W-Where?"

"Where do you think? To see Shinji," the woman said, bitterness openly showing in her voice.

"No…" the redhead whispered.

The Directions Operator moved to her and shouted, "_MOVE IT!_ He saved your ass and you're just going to sit there?"

Asuka's face seemed shadowed by her hair, "Yeah… I didn't ask for him to do that… I… I…"

Misato drew herself up in stature and screamed, "I don't give a damn what you _want_! I give a damn about Shinji and I give a damn about you! If you don't see him, that'll affect him, then he won't work as well with you! Both of you will be unhappy then!"

The German girl threw herself on her bed and faced the wall, "I can't see him…"

"Why? Are you too afraid to admit that he saved _you_?" Misato's purple hair was tossed behind her head as she angrily scratched her ear.

Asuka drew herself into a ball and whispered, "Yes… I don't know what to feel…"

'Maybeit would be better ifI just let her be, for now...'Misato's glare softened and she put a hand on the girl's shoulder, "Alright… Just… Let me know when you want to see Shinji. I'll be there four times a week from five to six, so just order take-out on those days." The older woman exited Asuka's room to allow her some space.

The redhead curled up further and silently cried…

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji was everywhere yet nowhere at all… This was his mind. Nothing could intrude. Or so he thought…

Gendo Ikari was once again standing before Shinji, dark eyes blazing.

"Failure… You are a failure…"

Shinji faltered and looked away, "I… I know…"

Rei appeared next to him and whispered, "Nobody likes you… You have no friends…"

Again, Shinji took a step backwards, "Stop… I don't want to hear this. It's… to painful."

Next to come was Misato, "Look at yourself… You're a sniveling pansy. I'm surprised you aren't suicidal."

The young pilot fell to his knees and covered his face, "No, _no_, _NO_! I… am I really that bad?"

"You are… You bastard! YOU _MURDERED_ MY SISTER! YOU _STOLE _MY ARM AND LEG!"

Shinji was kicked in the side of the head, and saw Toji when he looked up.

"Sh-she died? But she was alive when I visited her! How… How can I do stuff like this… Maybe I _am_ worthless…" Shinji was curled into a ball and he cried silently.

Footsteps broke the tense silence. A flash of golden-red hair was easily recognizable in the dim room… Asuka.

Shinji called out to her, "Hey, Asuka! Asuka! It's me, Shinji. You know, _Idiot_-Shinji!"

She stopped and looked at him with a haughty glare, "I don't know a Shinji. Why would I care about somebody as useless dirt?"

Each footstep she took as she walked away sounded like shattering glass, and felt like fiery barbs.

"A…As… Asuka…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Asuka Langley Sohryu rolled out of bed and quietly slid the door open. She had fallen into a routine in the last few days. There was no room for anything else. Brooding was the only activity she took place in. School wasn't mandatory, because Asuka had already graduated college.

She didn't go out of her way to spread misery or gloom. She didn't talk to Hikari. She didn't beat on the stooges.

She sat and thought… for sixteen hours at a time. The other eight were spent in dreams.

Asuka's once radiant hair was now dull, and her eyes, lifeless.

Misato noticed her change of appearance, and commented on it, "You look like hell! Why don't you go wash your hair and have a good meal?"

Asuka glanced at the woman and meekly nodded.

'She's so withdrawn… Does she blame herself for what happened to Shinji?' Misato thought as she watched the retreating girl.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Droplets of water dripped off of red strands of hair. Asuka stood there in the nude, not caring if somebody were to come in to the bathroom. Asuka's hair had regained the fresh and vibrant color, but her eyes were much different, they were pale as ever.

"I did it… It's my fault… I can't do anything right, can I?" she whispered.

Asuka slammed her face into her hands and started weeping. Slowly, she began to feel odd. Odd like there was somebody in the shower with her. She could feel that it was Shinji. Though she didn't know how it could be possible, she could feel his spirit.

This aura radiated strength and confidence, something that Shinji only did when he was piloting Eva.

Shinji was trying to tell her something. She knew what it was.

'I can't just wallow this whole time. I need to go and do _something_.'

Asuka's eyes lit up with a passion that had been taken away five days ago. She was going to do something. _Anything_ would be better than doing nothing.

She quickly hopped out of the steaming water and dried herself off. After turning off the faucet and retreating to her room. The girl set about dressing in a mad frenzy. She quickly regretted this once she had put on her panties, because they stuck to her skin uncomfortably since she was still somewhat wet.

"God damn it!" she exclaimed as she removed the damp garment and began to dry herself off.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"I wonder how she's doing… She doesn't seem to be very happy since… Shinji… Why did you do something like that?" Misato whispered.

She had taken up her usual way of eating since Shinji left. Sitting like a gargoyle on her chair, the woman had her toast hanging from her mouth and she noisily ate it.

A flash of red alerted the woman to Asuka's presence.

Misato called out to her, "A-Asuka? Could you come in here for a minute?"

Asuka's head popped into the room, her eyes blazing with color, "What do you want?"

Misato was startled, "You… you're like a whole new person!"

The redhead scoffed, "Whatever. Anyway, I'm going to go out for a little while. Okay?"

"Thank God! You're going outside! I was thinking that you might have died in there." Misato let loose asigh of relief.

The girl rolled her eyes and shouted, "Oh shut up! I just needed some time to think!"

The Direction Operator chuckled, "Okay then… But Asuka… It's good to see you back to normal again."

The Pilot of Unit 02 grinned, "S'good to be back."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap… Asuka's fingers drummed an unknown beat on her desk at school. Nobody seemed to care that her head was down and she wasn't paying attention. Even Hikari let it slide.

The girl quietly began to hum. The tune was unknown, but it was confident. Though she lifted her head up and started doodling in her notebook, she continued to humming, albeit it was still soft. Her fingers were working of their own accord as the girl's pencil continued to draw lines, circles and shades on her paper.

Her eyes opened wide. Two dark eyes were staring right back at Asuka. They were sorrowful and had tears forming under them.

The eyes looking back at her were Shinji's.

Asuka audibly gasped when she realized that she had been drawing her fellow pilot in her notebook.

If he looked a little bit happier, Asuka wouldn't have minded too much, but he was in despair. He looked like a puppy that just got his food taken away and has been kicked a few too many times.

'I just don't think I can see him yet. I need to sort out some feelings…' she thought.

The girl silently closed her notebook and put her head back down on the desk.

There was no humming.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Hey, Asuka! Where's Shinji?" Hikari said as she sat next to the German girl.

Asuka's expression darkened considerably and said, "The hospital… He's in a coma… Something bad happened to him during the last angel attack…"

Hikari pressed a hand over her mouth and said, "That's awful! Is he okay? Have you seen him yet?"

The pilot of Unit 02 shook her head, and Hikari started, "I can't believe it! You haven't even visited him yet? I know you may not like him much, but how can you just turn a blind eye to his problem?"

"Don't say it like that, Hikari… I just feel weird… I usually know exactly what to do in any situation, but this time… This time, I'm as lost a Kensuke on a date with a normal girl. I just don't know what to do…"

The Class Representative began chuckling, "Kensuke couldn't _get_ a date with a _normal_ girl. Anyway, this isn't like you, Asuka. You have to go see him in the hospital of course. That makes the most sense, that way you'll feel better."

Asuka's head lowered, "No…"

Hikari stomped her foot and said, "Damn it, Asuka!"

The redhead almost choked. Hikari _never_ cursed, not even in the heat of rage. Yet, she was sure that the docile girl had indeed said those words.

"Stop being so stubborn! You can go back to hating him right after you see him, but you_ are_ going to visit him." She stomped her foot again, as if to seal the conversation.

The redhead sighed, "I can't, Hikari… I don't know what to do or feel around him. Especially not after what happened… I don't even care that he beat the Angel, or even that he protected me. I was attacking him… _I_ hurt _him_. After it happened I started to punch him… And I-"

The Class Rep cut her off, "You're afraid he won't forgive you? Talk about unfounded fears. Have you really known anyone that Shinji hasn't forgiven for doing something to him?"

Though Asuka knew she could talk about the Commander, she thought it wise to leave him out of the conversation.

"No… not really… But then again, why would he forgive _me_?"

Hikari sighed, 'Some people are _so_ ignorant of other people's feelings. I guess she just can't see how he feels.' "Look. If you don't see him within the week, I'll sell your cell phone number to the people that'll pay and turn a profit big enough to make my _own_ Evangelion."

Asuka's jaw almost fell off, "You've gotta be shitting me… Scheisse… Fine, I'll visit Shinji by the _end_ of the _week._"

Hikari Horaki smiled smugly, 'At least I know what tactic to use against her now.'

Asuka feigned being grumpy and finished her lunch by flinging the food into her mouth.

Asuka smiled mentally, 'At least Hikari cares about me.'

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Misato sat at Shinji's bedside, her eyes threatening to shed tears. She had been at his bedside for forty-five minutes now, and just like every day, she told him of how Asuka was doing. The older woman resolved to tell him of the girl for the last fifteen minutes that she spent with him on each day.

"She's doing a lot better, you know… She used to shut herself in her room and say less than six words a day. They were so predictable… 'Shinji,' 'I'm hungry,' 'night,' and 'sorry.' I know… she doesn't seem like the kind of girl to apologize much, but she's changed a little. She even went to school today," Misato said while smiling faintly.

The Directions Operator sighed, "Rei's been here twice this week… I don't know if Asuka will come and visit you though… She's been blaming herself for this… I know that's the last thing that you want, but it's what she's doing. I'm not blind, you know… I can see that you like her… I'm just not sure if either of you notice it yet."

Shinji's heart rate quickened unnoticeably, and he seemed to want to move.

Tears dropped onto Shinji and she stammered, "I… I'm j-just not sure if you're c-coming back…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Kouzou Fuyutsuki sat in his chair when a gruff man interrupted his thoughts, "Why did you do this, Professor?"

Gendo Ikari was standing in the Sub-Commander's office.

"Why do you think? If you had let that continue, Pilot Sohryu would have died. These kids deserve to live at the _very least_." Fuyutsuki's eyes were blazing and he was somewhere between his shouting and talking voice.

Nobody _dared_ to yell at the Supreme Commander, Gendo Ikari!

Nobody except Kouzou Fuyutsuki…

"Damn it Gendo! You need to see what you're doing to these kids! They have bad enough pasts, but you have to go and act like this to them? Even Shinji, your own son, gets treated like a stray mongrel!"

The Commander turned around and began to leave, "Do not tell me how to act or how to raise children, Professor."

'You bastard… What did Yui see in you anyway?' the aging professor thought.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

It was now Wednesday, the day that people most hated. Since it was the middle of the week, the teachers loved to pile work on to the students. Asuka didn't mind though, she had already passed college, so this was child's play.

The redhead again sat at her desk, though this time, she was actively doodling on her history folder. She used all of her concentration to make sure that she didn't draw _him_.

She had already finished the front and back of the folder, so she was now working on the inside. The front cover was created to have all sorts of tubes weaving through each other and becoming one large pipe system. The back was just pure chaos… Nobody really knew what she had drawn there. She had drawn Shinji's face, so she scratched it out and made it chaotic to hide his face… His poignant face was too much for Asuka right now.

The inside was quickly taking shape. She would draw a shape, then draw it smaller inside of the shape, then scribble circles inside of the various shapes. Drawing anything was better than drawing Shinji.

The teacher's dull voice called out, "… Miss Sohryu? Please answer the question."

"…" Asuka sighed, "The Americans nuked you guys…"

"… … … As blunt as that answer was, it is correct. World War II ended after the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and Nagasaki." The teacher turned around again and began to write on the board.

'That guy needs better questions… Anyway… I wonder if I should talk to Hikari,' Asuka thought as she began to fire up her laptop.

Once it had started up, a blinking light on the screen told Asuka that somebody was trying to talk to her.

The girl opened it, hoping that it was Hikari, but groaned when she realized that it was the stooges.

'Where's Shinji? What did you do to him? Oh God! She probably sucked his blood!'

Asuka furiously typed back, 'You prepubescent stooges! I am _not_ a goddamned _vampire_!'

The only reply that she received was, 'Could've fooled me! I've seen you bare those fangs against people before!'

'Have I ever bitten anyone? Not other than Shinji! You should ask him what we do when Misato's out!' Asuka tapped the enter button and put on a devilish smile. She whispered, "This ought to get those morons."

Both Toji and Kensuke stood up and shouted in unison, "WHAAAT?"

Hikari turned to the two and shouted, "_SIT DOWN! YOU TWO HAVE CLEAN UP DUTY TODAY!_"

The two stooges sat back down in their seats and moped.

Hikari sent a message to Asuka and it read, 'What was that about?'

The redhead grinned and relayed their conversation to the Class Rep.

'_WHAT!_ You and Ikari are doing _THAT?_'

Asuka rolled her eyes, 'No. I was just saying that to get them to do something stupid. Shinji would never do something like that… that idiot…'

Hikari smiled, and thought, 'Yep… She definitely likes him.' 'So… have you visited him yet?'

Asuka sighed and didn't reply.

'I'll take that as a no. You only have until Friday, you know.'

The redhead replied, 'I _know_ that… I just can't go see him yet.'

'Okay then. If you don't see him today, I'll give your phone number to Kensuke, and you know what he'll do with that: Sell it on the internet. Not just school, but the _INTERNET!_' Hikari could feel the evil little smirk creeping up on her face.

Asuka was about to stand up and throw her computer at Hikari but just opted to type 'Fine… You do know how evil you are, right?'

'I know, and I'm going to be taking you right after school, just to make sure that you do go.'

Asuka just sighed, "There's no way to get out of it now…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Okay Hikari, let's just get this over with…" Asuka said with her hands on her hips.

The Class Rep smiled, "You have to spend at least an hour with him."

Asuka groaned and started to complain, "What! That's absurd! People might think I'd be doing something perverted!"

Hikari shot back a well placed retort, "Well, you _are_ the one that said you and he do _things_ together…"

The mortified Asuka shouted, "S-Shut up! I was kidding about that stuff! That's-"

The freckled girl cut her off and said, "But you _do _think about it, don't you?"

"Ye- I mean, _not in a million years_!" Asuka immediately covered her face to hide the bright scarlet tint to her skin.

The Class Rep grinned, and patted the girl's shoulder, "It's okay… I won't tell anyone. Just… try to be nicer to him, okay? Make sure that it's a progression though. He'll think something's up if you are just flat out nice to him."

Asuka allowed a small smile to grace her face, "I didn't know you were this devious, Hikari…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Asuka gingerly sat down next to Shinji's bedside.

"Hey there… Idiot… Quite a fix you got yourself into, huh?" she said meekly.

Shinji's heart rate increased slightly, but the girl didn't notice.

She continued, "You really are an idiot, aren't you? You may have saved me, but I'm on standby for now… I can't fight anything until my synch ratio goes back above forty percent. I know you aren't laughing at me inside there, so that's the only reason I told you."

"I… know you can't hear me, but you better listen up, because I have some important stuff to say. Okay, here goes. I guess… I guess I wanted… Damn it! I-wanted-to-thank-you-for-saving-me!" The words all came out so quickly that Asuka had a tough time understanding what she had said. But all and all, she had still said it.

"Don't think that this'll be a habit though… I can't just let apologies ruin my reputation. People will think I've gone soft."

"I know I haven't been the nicest person… So why? Why did you save me? Why did you save _me?_ What have I done for _you?_"

There was no response.

"It's okay… You don't have to answer… I feel a little bit better just knowing that I've spoken my mind. This is the first time I've been here to visit you, so you should appreciate your good fortune. I probably wouldn't have visited you before! Once you wake up, I expect some answers Shinji. I will get them…"

The redhead looked at Shinji, gently touching his hand,and whisperedso softly that nobody but the two of them could hear it, "Dummkopf…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Misato Katsuragi was just getting off work and today was one of the days that she was visiting Shinji. She had forgotten to call Asuka at home before she went, but that didn't really matter, she knew where Misato would be anyway.

Each step she took brought the older woman closer to her goal. She needed to see if Shinji was alright. It was the same need that took over every time that she went to see him. It was a motherly need. She felt that Shinji would be neglected if nobody were to visit him.

The long, pristine corridors of the hospital seemed to get longer as Misato quickened her pace. She finally reached Shinji's door, and opened it.

"Scheisse, Misato! Can't I have a private conversation here?"

The purple haired woman backed out of the room and said, "Um… You've got five minutes… Then we should go home…"

Asuka's voice replied, "Yeah…"

Misato sat in a chair out side of Shinji's door and thought, 'Looks like I don't need to visit him today… I didn't think she'd be coming to visit him… How long has she been here?'

"Since school ended. She's been here since school ended," a voice said.

Misato looked up and took notice of the person standing in front of her, "Hikari, right? What are you doing here? She's been in there for an hour and a half?"

The girl with freckles chuckled, "I had to drag her over here. She most likely wouldn't have come otherwise. I told her she had to stay with him for at least an hour."

The woman stared incredulously, "How the hell did you get Asuka to do this?"

"I told her that I would give her phone number to Kensuke to sell on the internet. That definitely got her motivated." Hikari glanced at her finger nails and examined them.

Misato thought for a moment then said, "You _threatened_ _Asuka_?"

The girl shrugged, "It was the only way to get her here. She would have been preparing until he came out of the coma! I did this for both of them… Asuka needed to talk to him, and he wanted her to visit him, I'm sure."

Misato gaped and said, "I didn't think you were that devious!"

Hikari spoke in a soft but matter-of-factly tone, "It's so obvious that they like each other. I don't know how _they_ don't see it. I think Shinji is aware of his feelings for Asuka… but I know that she is clueless."

Misato nodded her head and stood up. She knocked on the door and said, "Okay Asuka! It's time to go!"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Asuka heard Misato call for her and she glanced back down at Shinji.

"I'm glad we could have this little chat, aren't you? Anyway Misato says that it's time to go, so I'll see you sometime soon. I'll make sure that I come to visit you at least one more time this week, okay? I really need to get going now, okay? Unless…"

She got a devilish glint in her eye and started to bark orders, "Alright Idiot! You have until the count of five to get up and come home with us! Five…! Four…! Three…! Two…! One!"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

'Where am I?'

'**You are in your mind.'**

'Why?'

'**Don't you remember?'**

'… Yes…'

'**Why did you do it?'**

'The thing… that… I treasure most in life… I won't let anything take it away.'

'**Heroism? Fame? Power?'**

'Asuka…'

'**Heh… That redheaded bitch? Why not choose Rei? _She_ likes you.'**

'I won't change for you… I'd rather die.'

'**Why?'**

'You'll never understand…'

'**Why?'**

'Because _I_ don't…'

'**I already know what'd happen.'**

'No you don't… You _can't_ just predict these things.'

'**Oh, but I _can_.'**

'_NO YOU CAN'T!_'

'**Why aren't you this way all the time? Life sucks if you hold your anger inside.'**

'I don't… No… I won't hold it in any more… There is no purpose.'

'**You'll have to get past me to get back to her…'**

'I'm not useless… Don't even label me. You don't know who I really am.'

'**I'll keep you here forever.'**

'You'll never take me alive!'

'… **Well, technically you _aren't _alive.'**

'It was a figure of speech… Besides, I'm going whether you like it or not.'

'**Do you really want to return?'**

'I… Yes.'

'**Then go. I couldn't stop you if you're determined.'**

'Thanks… Goodbye.'

'**Just don't screw it up.'**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **This chapter was the basic length that they will be: 5000 words. Should I update daily, or weekly? Give me some insight. By the way, Shinji is talking with his inner self in the last scene. Please review and give me your thoughts. **

* * *

**

Outtakes

**-**

**Torture**

Shinji was everywhere yet nowhere at all… This was his mind. Nothing could intrude. Or so he thought…

Gendo Ikari was once again standing before Shinji. His once dark clothes were replaced. An immaculate white suit wrapped the man and a white hat flopped down over his eyes, masking the older man's face. He brushed it away and his face was a mask of deadly seriousness.

Shinji didn't know what to expect.

Gendo started bellowing, "_CALIFORNIA HERE I COME! RIGHT BACK WHERE I STARTED FROM!_"

"AH! NO! NOT _THIS_! _ANYTHING BUT THIS!_"

Gendo's face never changed from his serious façade.

**Who is the Bitch Now?**

Shinji was sitting in the broken shards of his spirit. More footsteps shattered the silence.

An odd noise was emitted from the steps, and a black flyswatter smacked Shinji on the head.

It wasn't a flyswatter. It was a flipper.

Pen-Pen continued squawking.

Shinji stood up in defiance, "Okay look! I can take being mentally abused by my friends and family, but a _PENGUIN!_ That's way too much!"

Pen-Pen drew himself up to full height and shoved Shinji to the ground.

Shinji caught a glimpse of a silver flash in its flipper.

The homicidal, warm-water penguin had a switchblade to the young Ikari's throat.

'Bitch _please_! I rule you!' it thought.


	3. Running in Circles

**Foreword: **Yeah, yeah... It was probably pretty crappy of an ending for last chapter. Anyway, I'm really trying to do better. Sorry guys.

**A Special Thanks To: **Draknal, again, like always. He's always there to help me with my stories and writing.

**

* * *

**

**Running in Circles**

"-Zero!" Asuka shouted, "This is so _stupid_… I _knew_ it wouldn't work… _Stupid_ Shinji…"

She turned to walk away and let her fingers touch the door.

Asuka glanced back one more time and softly said, "If… you don't come back, I'll... I… You better get up soon, Third Child…"

Her hand twisted and the door swung open, and she said nothing.

Asuka heard a loud gasp behind her and immediately turned around.

Shinji Ikari was sitting up on his bed, sweating profusely and his azure eyes were darting around the room. They seemed to converge on the redhead at the door.

"A-Asuka? Is that you?" he whispered, his voice hoarse from not being used.

She had to force herself to slowly walk to his bedside instead of rushing over and hugging him.

"Finally awake, huh, moron?" she said with an evil smirk. This smile was only to hide the genuine one beneath it.

Shinji glanced back at the girl and said "I'm not a moron… but yeah, I am finally up."

"Just hurry up, Third Child," Asuka said, venom hiding her elation. 'He's finally growing a spine, isn't he?'

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Misato stood outside of the room and looked at Hikari, "What's taking that girl so long? This is ridiculous! I say now and she comes later!"

Misato stomped into Shinji's hospital room and cried, "Asuka! I said it's time to g- Shinji? DOCTOR!"

Major Katsuragi flipped out once she saw the Third Child and began to scream for a doctor.

The young man covered his ears and said, "Mi-Misato! Can you stop being so loud? My head is still hurting!"

Asuka spoke in an elegant and flowery voice, "In other words… SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Misato was at a loss of what to do, and was glad when the doctor finally showed up.

"What, may I ask, is the problem?" the doctor asked in a whiny voice. He was obviously overworked and underpaid, because he was very irritable and there were large bags under his eyes.

Before anyone could speak, Asuka started shouting, "Hurry up and examine this idiot here! Clear him, and we'll be on our way!"

The downtrodden doctor sighed, "Alright then…" He began his examination of the pilot.

Asuka's foot impatiently tapped at the ground that dared to be under it.

Shinji laughed at her, "Gee, Asuka. The way your acting makes me think you _want_ me home or something."

The redhead blushed and looked at the floor, "Just hurry up, Third Child…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji sat in his chair, reclined slightly. He usually sat timidly, his eyes resting on the table.

Not tonight.

His run in with his inner self helped him to realize that being a pansy wasn't going to help anything.

"What do you want, Asuka?" he said in a slightly irked tone, glancing at the redhead.

She raised an eyebrow and said, "Nothing. Why are you even talking?"

"Oh. Simply because I can. Other than that… you keep looking at me," he said, his face splitting into a grin.

The girl stomped her feet, attempting to divert attention from her rosy cheeks, "Oh, shut up! I'm just trying to find out when you're gonna make dinner! I… and wipe that smile off of your face before I do it for you!"

Shinji burst into mocking laughter, which only infuriated the girl even more. She took a step forward and whipped her hand out.

Using two fingers, Shinji stopped the slap by lightly touching her wrist. Still chuckling, and his voice dripping with sarcasm he said, "Nope! _Little girls_ aren't supposed to go around hitting people like that."

Asuka turned around and began to walk back to the couch. She turned and softly said, "You know… I liked the 'old you' better."

As she turned around, Shinji's eyes fell to the floor. His mind was raging, 'God dammit, Shinji! Hi, my name is Shinji, and I like to wake up and screw _everything _up!'

Angry at himself, Shinji started up dinner.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Asuka sat in her room with her head resting against the pale walls. 'What happened to him?' she thought.

There were unseen tears within her. The timid boy that she liked had gone.

'Well… it's nice that he's standing up for himself, but he's just an asshole now…'

A soft knock at the door alerted the girl to somebody's presence just outside the door.

The redhead glowered, "Go away, Dummkopf!" She knew it had to be Shinji, because Misato was busy filling in NERV that the idiot was back in action.

Gone was the mocking tone that had filled the flat before. Shinji's timid voice spoke out with uncertainty. "A-Asuka? C-Can I come in?"

Asuka smiled faintly, but remembered to make herself seem angry, "Grr… Fine! Just don't mess anything up!"

He slowly opened her door and shuffled inside. The boy had reverted to his usual hesitant self.

"A-Asuka? I… I wanted to say something…" Shinji faltered again.

The German girl stood up and looked at the boy, "Well? I'm waiting! Speak up already!" Her hands were on her hips and she had regained her superior tone.

He shifted a little and said, "I… I know you don't like it when I do this… but… I think I owe you an apology… I was being a jerk out there and I know it…"

The redhead stepped forward, "I know you're just growing a spine and all, but I kinda like the way you were… You were always… considerate… If you tell anyone that I said that, you're ass is mine, _Third Child_!"

Shinji's gaze seemed to darken, "So you'd rather be my friend in secret… it figures… Second Child…"

Asuka stumbled backwards and sat on her bed, "W-what? What did you say?"

Shinji didn't give her an answer, but he just looked at her. Tears were forming under his eyes and he looked exactly like a puppy that had been kicked a few too many times.

The redhead felt like she'd been slapped in the face, 'My drawing… That face… They look exactly the same…' She began to sob.

Shinji was pretty mad, and he was turning to leave. A light whimper convinced him to take a look back at the girl.

He could hear her crying and could feel the sadness coming from her body. "A-Asuka? I… I'm sorry…"

Shinji took a step forward and tentatively put his hand on the grieving pilot's shoulder.

Asuka pulled away from Shinji, but only slightly. Eventually she stopped crying, as she found herself in a light hug.

"Look… I know I say it a whole lot… but… I'm sorry… for what I did…" Shinji had to labor to get the words out correctly.

The girl slowly pulled back, "Whatever… I… I just was remembering something…"

Shinji's smile had a calming effect on Asuka, "What were you remembering?"

The redhead wiped tears from her eyes and said "It's… something personal… it'll be easier if I showed you…" She silently stood up and opened her school bag. Asuka simply handed him her science notebook.

Shinji opened the book quietly and flipped through the pages, 'Notes… Notes… Notes… Notes… Notes… Picture… Wait! Picture!'

His mouth hung open and Asuka looked at her feet, "It's not that good, but that's what I thought of…"

"I didn't know you were an artist, Asuka. This looks just like me," Shinji spoke in utter amazement.

The girl lips curled up into a droll little smile, "Thanks… Anyway… get out. I'm tired and want to go to sleep."

The pilot of Unit 01 nodded and handed her notebook back. He turned around and began to leave the room.

"Oh, just one more thing Shinji!"

Shinji turned around and looked at Asuka.

"I don't really like being called Second Child… I'll try to stop calling you Third if you promise not to call me Second, okay?" Asuka looked at Shinji with pleading eyes. All it took was one look into those eyes, and he could instantly tell that she disliked being called Second Child.

He nodded and said, "On my honor, I'll never call you Second Child again… G-Good night, Asuka."

The redhead smiled as she watched him leave her room. Once he was safely gone, she whispered, "Good night… Idiot-Shinji."

Her voice wasn't bitter or cold.

The words rolled off of her tongue with a warmth that she couldn't give a reasonable explanation for.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"W-What are you doing, Asuka?" Shinji's whiney voice rang through the apartment.

The redhead rolled her eyes and simply ripped off his blanket, "You're coming with me!"

The Third Child shook his head in an attempt to wake himself up, and sighed, "Can I at least get changed?"

Asuka nodded and sauntered out of the room, "Better hurry up!"

Shinji shook his head again, 'What's with her today? She was sad yesterday and now she's all psychotic… like usual.'

Shinji sighed and pulled on a pair of fading jeans. He scratched his head as he stumbled into the bathroom.

Shinji didn't have to waste time on a shower, because he had long ago learned to take his after dinner rather than before breakfast. Otherwise he'd have two angry women shouting at him to hurry up.

Grabbing his toothbrush and covering it with paste, Shinji began the morning ritual known as 'The Brushing of the Teeth.'

He finished up and yawned as he re-entered his room.

Shinji emerged from his dwelling a few minutes later with a plain black shirt on.

An impatient Asuka stood at the door with her foot tapping angrily, "Well? Let's go!"

The young Ikari sighed, "Where, exactly, are we going?"

The redhead flashed a devious smile, "I'm going to show you that I'm your friend…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Asuka dragged Shinji down the sidewalk, "Move faster Shinji! You're a boy, aren't you? Can't you walk any faster?"

Shinji caught up with the girl and obediently followed her, "So… where are we going again?"

The girl tilted her head and said, "It's your lucky day, Shinji! You've won a free day on the town with your best friend! That friend is quite the head-turner, I might add!"

Shinji blinked, 'Is she just jerking my chain again? Maybe she really wants to be my friend.'

The redhead walked faster and said, "If you don't hurry, I'll make you eat Misato's cooking for a whole week!"

This seemed to spur the young man forward a little bit, and he caught up with the girl. As they turned the corner, he realized just where the two were going. They were going to the Arcades of Tokyo III.

Shinji and Asuka stepped in to the dark and dank paradise of people like Kensuke. As the two made their way to the back of the room, a loud voice called out to them.

"How could you betray us like that? We thought you were our friend Shinji! You can't just go out in public with Satan's Favorite Daughter!" Kensuke screamed as he feigned ripping out his hair.

Toji Suzuhara limped towards the group and called out to them, "What's the deal, man?"

Shinji looked as though he would faint right there and he began to stutter, "T-T-Toji? I… I'm sorry about-"

"Shut up, dude! You didn't have anything. I heard all about this from Misato. Just don't worry about it, man. NERV hooked me up with some prosthetics, but I'm not really used to them yet. Thankfully, Sis is home now, so she can take care of my food!" Toji clapped Shinji on the back and continued being as friendly with Shinji as he had been before the 13th Angel.

Asuka was cross by now. She didn't expect to run into the Stooges, but she could work this situation to her advantage.

The redhead threw her arms around Shinji and smiled seductively, "Me and Shinji were just going out on a little date. Weren't we, idiot?"

Nothing could shake Shinji's nerves of steel, and he kept cool and replied with the grace of an ambassador.

In other words, he blushed heavily and stammered, "A-A-Asuka?"

While the Stooges fell to the ground sputtering, Asuka began to laugh.

Asuka tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear and said, "Oh man! That was too easy! I'm just kidding, you dorks! Shinji and his best friend, _me_, are just going out for a day of fun!"

Toji stood back up and cried, "But _I'm_ Shinji's best friend! Right, Pal?"

Asuka flicked Shinji in the head and said, "What about me, _hm?_"

The young Ikari sighed and said, "Um… Can't _both_ of you be my best friends?"

The redhead sighed, 'It'll have to do…' "Yeah, yeah…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"So Shinji, did you have fun?" Asuka called as she walked into the kitchen with a towel covering her.

Shinji was just putting food on the plates that were resting on the kitchen table. "Yeah. I didn't think it was possible for anyone to beat both Toji _and_ Kensuke in Sharpshooter!"

The girl scratched her neck and said, "Well, you certainly don't know how good I am at shooting!"

Shinji threw the pan into the sink and spoke, "Lunch is ready."

The redhead walked into her room and shut the door.

After a few rustling sounds and a few minutes later, she re-entered the kitchen fully clothed. She hadn't put in the neural clips that were usually in her hair, so her damp locks cascaded down her back.

She hopped into her chair and set to her food with ferocity. Shinji sat down in a chair next to her and began to work on his own plate.

The girl put down her fork and looked at Shinji, "So idiot, got any plans for later?"

"Not really… why?" he replied. He was honestly surprised that she would ask, but there was also suspicion in his voice.

She liked to pull off elaborate pranks. Just like the time when she took all of his clothes and moved them into her room while he was in the shower… but that was a different story.

Asuka grinned and said, "Good! We still have a whole lot of stuff to do later! Misato can fend for herself! We're going to go out for dinner."

Shinji almost spit out his food and said, "What! How are we going to get the money?"

The redhead shook her head and said, "You worry too much! I got it covered!"

"If you say so…" Shinji responded. He always spoke with a hint of uncertainty in his voice, and this was no exception.

Asuka snapped back, "I do! Anyway… I just thought of something to do!"

The timid boy slowly spoke, "Um… a-alright…"

"You," She paused and watched the boy grimace, "Are going to play your cello for me, while I take a nap!"

"But Asuka! I'm not that good at playing the cello! Besides, why should I play if you're just going to sleep through it?" Shinji's voice was a combination of whining mixed with phantom residue of irritation.

"Because, Dummkopf, I didn't get a very good night of sleep last night! So your playing will lull me to sleep!" Asuka twisted her one of golden-red locks around one of her fingers.

Shinji was feeling a little better, and was also feeling a streak of bravery coming on, "So, Asuka wants Idiot-Shinji to play her a little lullaby? Well alright then."

Asuka grabbed a blanket from her room and settled down on the couch while Shinji went to retrieve his cello.

Shinji sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and drew the bow across the strings.

A slow and calm melody wafted through the air.

The redhead yawned and said, "Wake me up around five-thirty, 'mkay Dummkopf?"

The boy nodded and continued to play…

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Rei sat in her room calmly, with her hands folded on her lap. Though she had the urge to stand up and start dancing, she opted for the energetic activity of blinking every few minutes.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"DUMMKOPF! You should have woken me up earlier!" The silence was broken by a screaming redhead.

Shinji cowered and stammered, "B-But it's five-thirty! That's when you told me to wake you up!"

Asuka smacked him on the side of the head, "Idiot! You should know it takes girls at least an hour to get ready to go anywhere in public!"

Shinji was feeling his backbone tingle, "I'm sorry…" 'So much for backbone!'

The redhead scrambled into her room and slammed the door shut, shouting over her shoulder, "You peek and you're going to die!"

Shinji absently nodded and wrote out a note for Misato explaining where he and Asuka were going to be.

The redhead's door flew open and she marched out wearing nothing but a white set of undergarments.

The young Ikari's face reddened and he felt as if he would pass out from joy. Asuka had never, ever _let_ him see her dressed so scantly.

The girl scratched her flat stomach and blinked, "Hey Shinji! Have you seen my new set of clothes?"

Shinji shakily nodded as he watched the floor, "Uh… y-yeah! It's in the Laundry Room."

The girl sauntered down the hall and towards her destination. Shinji's eyes quickly darted from the floor to her well-shaped rear.

'Bad! Bad Shinji! You should NOT do that!' he scolded himself.

Black fabric swooshed as Asuka's knees collided with her skirt. Shinji could hear a zipping noise as the girl zipped up her deep blue shirt.

The redhead stopped in front of Shinji and looked into his eyes.

A resounding slap was heard in the apartment, and it wouldn't be surprising if the neighbors heard it either.

"_PERVERT!_" Her screaming was not something that one willingly endured.

Shinji sighed and rubbed his reddening cheek.

Asuka continued, "I could _feel_ your eyes caressing my butt!"

"You probably liked that feeling, didn't you?" he retorted.

"We- _HELL NO!_" she cried like an Amazon warrior. The irate Asuka seized the only thing close to her that could damage Shinji: Pen-Pen.

One may often wonder what the thoughts of a penguin are, at this moment, Pen-Pen was thinking, 'Oh shit… not _again!_'

Asuka reared her arm back and prepared to throw the penguin like a javelin.

Shinji cocked an eyebrow, "Asuka… what are you- _NO! NOT THE PENGUIN!_"

Right as he turned to jump over the couch, the girl released her weapon.

As he looked around in a daze, Shinji realized that he was pinned to the wall and by a penguin no less! Pen-Pen's beak had penetrated the collar of Shinji's shirt, effectively immobilizing him.

Asuka smirked and pulled the penguin out of the wall, "Now go get changed, you idiot! We are going to go have some fun tonight!"

Shinji sighed and walked down the hall and into his room.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji and Asuka had eaten out at a fast food restaurant. The two were now walking down the sidewalks of Tokyo III.

The redhead looked at him and smiled brightly, "Guess what, Shinji!"

The boy nervously replied, "W-What is it, Asuka?"

Asuka latched herself on to his arm and said, "We're going to a festival!"

"We are…?" Shinji blushed and his brown hair fluttered in the spring breeze.

The redhead thought to herself, 'Maybe I should make a move on him… I think I will… I already know how I feel about him.'

The two continued walking until they had entered a crowd of people. Loud rock music was playing and it seemed to be a music festival.

Asuka tugged on Shinji's arm and called out, "Hey Shinji! Let's get some ice cream!"

He nodded and stepped up to a booth. As Asuka reached into her pocket for money, Shinji placed his hand on hers.

"It's okay… I've got this one," he said as his face turned red.

Asuka smiled and waited for her ice cream.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Asuka was still attached to Shinji's arm as they began their trip back to Misato's apartment.

"So Shinji, are you still convinced that I'm only willing to be your friend in secret?" the redhead asked as she looked at Shinji.

The young Ikari looked at her and smiled, "You've changed my mind. I know you really want to be my friend."

They continued for a little bit in silence, "Shinji… did you have fun today?"

Again he smiled and replied, "You bet. I had a great time! I got to spend the day with the Great Asuka Langley Sohryu, after all!"

Asuka smiled, 'I wonder when he'll notice that I'm hanging on his arm…'

The Pilot of Unit 01 spoke up, "I especially liked the jazz exhibit! I thought that was so cool how all of those people listened to such awesome music."

Asuka nodded, "I thought you might like to go to a festival like that, because I always see you with your SDAT player."

Shinji would pat her on the shoulder if his arm wasn't ensnared by the girl, and he said, "Thank you Asuka… for the whole day… I had a lot of fun."

"Well that was the idea, Dummkopf!" she said as her grip around his arm tightened.

The young man sighed as thoughts of Misato entered his head, "Asuka… You _do_ know that Misato probably made a gigantic mess, don't you? There are probably beer cans everywhere!"

Asuka's head dipped and it made contact with Shinji's shoulder, 'Maybe if I'm lucky, he'll make a move on me!'

The redhead had since realized that she had feelings for the young man. Though she couldn't place a name on them, Asuka knew that she needed to be closer to Shinji.

He could always find something nice to say about Asuka, even when she couldn't find anything _remotely_ acceptable about herself.

Shinji had a way of making her feel safe. Asuka felt invincible, just as long as Shinji was standing right next to her.

'Just what is it about him that makes me feel like this? Nobody else has ever made me feel this way before…' Asuka was busy trying to find a rational explanation for her emotions.

The two drew nearer to their abode and Shinji was just now realizing that Asuka had been attached to his arm for the whole night. 'I wonder what she's doing… Maybe she doesn't realize what she's doing…'

Shinji and Asuka stepped into the elevator in their apartment complex and pressed the button to reach their floor.

The soft mechanical whir and a light clicking noise were Shinji and Asuka's companions in the empty elevator.

Once it had reached its destination, the twin doors slid open, allowing the couple to walk to their dwelling.

Shinji opened the door and stepped inside.

Much to his chagrin, beer cans littered the room and Misato was sleeping on the kitchen table. A beer can was propped under her head like a pillow, and she mumbled a little bit as the two walked in.

The Pilot of Unit 01 sighed heavily and said, "I'll just deal with it in the morning… I'm too tired to clean up right now."

Pen-Pen was passed out on the floor within a small fortress of beer cans.

The redhead tapped the outer wall with her foot and sighed, "Misato should know better than to force Pen-Pen to drink like that!"

Shinji tried to head off to his room, but Asuka was still detaining his arm. 'Is she ever going to let go?'

Asuka kept her hold on Shinji's appendage and she thought, 'Maybe I should just tell him how I feel… No… What if he doesn't feel the same way…?'

Quietly Shinji looked at Asuka and said, "Do… Do you think you could let go of my arm, Asuka? I kinda want to go to bed now…"

Asuka let go of him as though he were on fire and she turned away from him.

"A-Asuka? Are you okay?" Shinji's voice was laced with concern.

The girl turned and slapped him, then bent over to pick up her weapon of choice: Pen-Pen.

She whipped it at the boy like before, and he once again found himself pinned to the wall.

Asuka could feel tears running down her cheeks and she slammed her door shut. 'He just… He just _rejected_ me... I knew it… I knew he could never like me… he could never return my feelings…'

She stripped off her clothes and threw them at her closet, not bothering to check if it was open. Asuka fell on to her bed and curled up into a ball.

Tears dripped onto her pillow as she held it close to her body, and her soft sobbing could be heard through the walls.

Shinji was still pinned to the wall as he heard the soft crying. 'God _DAMMIT _Shinji! You've done it again! Not only have you made Asuka cry, but you're stuck to the wall by a bird that technically can't fly! You're such a jerk, Shinji Ikari!'

Again, he tried to pry Pen-Pen from the wall, but alas, his beak was just stuck to far in the wall. Spying his SDAT player, the young man reached for it, yet his fingertips were barely long enough to graze it. It seemed as though somebody up in heaven was mad with him.

Shinji put his face in his hands and ran his fingers through his hair, 'Just why the heck did Asuka get so mad at me? What did she expect? I was tired and wanted to go to sleep! It's not like she could just sleep _with_ me! I wonder what she feels like to sleep next to… BAD Shinji! BAD! She was hanging on my arm all day… does that mean something? She was probably making sure she didn't get lost…'

'She was trying to make a move on me! … No… that can't be it… She could never like a spineless coward like me… could she? Maybe she could… I know that I love her, but… I just don't want to get hurt.'

'I'm such an idiot! Stupid Shinji! You just hurt Asuka even more! How can you deserve happiness if you just keep hurting people like this? I need to apologize to her… No, that would make her even angrier… I should do something to show her that I like her… That I love her…'

Shinji remained pinned to the wall and he hit himself on the head. "What the heck am I going to do?" he whispered.

Another bout of sobbing assaulted Shinji's ears through the walls. With each tear that Asuka shed, it felt like a punch in the gut to Shinji.

"What have I done?" he whispered.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Well, it's that time again. Yep, I ended it kinda like a cliffhanger or something. Oh well, I can only hope you guys like it. Please, review for me. **

* * *

**

Outtakes

**-**

**Kensuke Aida, Mr. Popularity**

Asuka tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear and said, "Oh man! That was too easy! I'm just kidding, you dorks! Shinji and his best friend, _me_, are just going out for a day of fun!"

Toji stood back up and cried, "But _I'm_ Shinji's best friend! Right, Pal?"

Asuka flicked Shinji in the head and said, "What about me, _hm?_"

Shinji shook his head and said, "You're both wrong. Kensuke is my best friend!"

Kensuke's eyes lit up from behind his thick rimmed glasses.

Shinji cut him off before he could speak, "Just kidding! Silly Kensuke! Nobody likes you! You're so easy to fool."

The geek's eyes fell and he seized a gun from one of the shooting games, "I hate my life!" With that said, he proceeded in pulling the trigger as the gun was aimed at his head.

**Gendo's Last Stand**

Gendo sat in his regular position, hands under the chin. The darkness seemed to shroud the man as if it were his realm

He slumped forward and a gleaming silver object protruded from his back

It was his realm no longer

"SQUAAAAAAWK!" Pen-Pen hopped up on the desk and retrieved his trusty switchblade. In that moment, his sideburns seemed to grow, and his chin seemed to sprout a beard.

The fallen glasses of Gendo Ikari were enveloped in the flippers of the murderous bird.

Thus ended the reign of Commander Ikari

The new age of Emperor Pen-Pen was now opening...


	4. Leave Me Out of This

**Foreword: **I'm tryin guys, really! Sorry if it kinda sucks, but then again, I'm not the best writer out there. Hope you don't _hate _it.

**A Special Thanks To: **Draknal, like always. Bryan, for helpin' me out with ideas and such.

**

* * *

**

**Leave Me Out of This**

Soft hands slowly caressed Asuka's flat stomach and she stifled an involuntary moan. She could feel them working their way higher on her chest and two words shattered the atmosphere, "I'm sorry…"

Asuka gasped for air as she sat up in her bed. She could feel a strange sensation flowing through her body, but it quickly passed away.

"That idiot! I'm gonna _kill_ him!" she cried as her rage set in.

The girl tore off her covers and ripped open her door. In the morning light, she spied Shinji, who was still pinned to the wall.

Shinji was dreaming of Asuka in his own usual manner. "I'm sorry Asuka! I really didn't mean to hurt you… I… I love you too much…" The boy bent down and kissed the dream-Asuka, but he was rudely awakened by a five finger sandwich.

"Wake up, Dummkopf!" she screamed at the pinned figure.

Shinji's battle-honed instincts kicked in and he replied, "I'm sorry-"

Before he could totally finish, the girl punched him in the stomach, "What did I tell you about apologizing! That same phrase cost me something very important this morning!"

The girl began to walk away and Shinji's face started to heat up.

'She has an amazing butt- _BAD! BAD SHINJI! BAD_!' he thought.

Asuka wheeled around, realizing her state of dress, or rather undress, and stomped towards the young Ikari. "_You PERVERT!_ I _know_ you were watching my butt again!"

She crouched down like a tiger and propelled herself forward. Her knee drove itself into his Achilles heel… or rather, Achilles Member. Asuka hadn't counted on such resistance from Shinji's groin, and fell forward.

Shinji could feel soft mounds of flesh rub against his chest, and immediately flushed with embarrassment, though tears clouded his vision.

Asuka had fallen on to Shinji and her bra had slippedup, letting her bare breasts rest against Shinji's chest. The girl, crimson with embarrassment, fixed her clothing, with one hand and let go of the unfortunate penguin that had been trapped by the other when she fell forward.

By now, Pen-Pen was awake and flailing around with rage, and Shinji's screaming didn't help much either.

The redhead quickly head butted Shinji in the stomach, so his cries were silenced, effectively replaced by gasps for air.

'Did I just head butt Shinji?' Asuka asked herself.

Asuka stumbled back to her room and slammed the door shut.

The mauve haired woman at the table groaned and yawned.

A loud pop was heard in the kitchen as Misato cracked open the very beer that had acted as her pillow.

A loud cheer resounded through the room as the beer was finished quicker than Shinji could take another breath.

The young man gritted his teeth and spoke in a slow and pained voice, "Misato… help… me…"

The woman raised an eyebrow, but proceeded to pull the flailing penguin from the wall, thus freeing the pinned boy.

Shinji immediately fell to the floor and clutched his groin.

Misato helped him into one of the kitchen chairs and looked at the boy, "I assume that Asuka did this to you?"

The young Ikari nodded slowly, and Misato continued, "Well… just hurry up! Drop your drawers and lemme see if you're alright."

"MI-MI-MISATO!" he cried out as he stuttered.

The woman chuckled, "I'm being serious here! Off with your pants! It's not like I haven't seen them before. Don't you remember your first attempt to take a bath?"

Shinji groaned, half from pain, half from frustration, "Misato! Will you stop teasing me?"

"But it's so fun! You go ballistic! … okay, okay. Just relax while I get you some ice for that." Misato returned to his position a few minutes later with a bag full of ice, which Shinji deposited on his groin.

Five beers later, Misato suggested that Shinji should take a shower.

The young man nodded and headed off to the bathroom.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Pen-Pen was quite angry. Not the average angry associated with Misato getting him drunk again, but he was livid. Twice in one day he had been stuck to a wall, and it was time to get revenge!

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji strode into his room with a towel across his waist, and he shut his door behind him. It was still dark in his room, but he didn't need light to get his clothes on.

He quickly opened a drawer and grabbed a pair of underwear, 'Hm… these are softer than I remember…'

Shrugging, he hopped into them and shuffled uncomfortably, 'Since when did my underwear get so tight?'

Shinji moved over to his light switch and looked down, "THESE ARE ASUKA'S!"

"What's mine, you dork?" a familiar voice asked.

'Oh damn! Why now, God?' Shinji thought as he could feel his dread rising, "Oh… er- Asuka…"

"_DUMMKOPF! ARE THOSE MY FAVORITE PAIR OF PANTIES! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO THEM, YOU PERVERT?_" Asuka screamed at the top of her lungs.

Pen-Pen choked on his fish as he suppressed his laughter, 'Mission Successful.'

Shinji knew what was going to happen. Asuka was going to kick his ass.

Her arm shot through the air, and Shinji's spine decided to perk up. He ducked under her slap and hugged her from behind, with every intention of stopping her from hitting him. Something within him seemed to be set on fire, and Shinji felt as though he had no control over his body.

Asuka whirled around for another try, and before he knew what was happening, Shinji felt his lips against Asuka's own soft, moist lips. The kiss was heating up and Asuka pressed her tongue into Shinji's mouth.

After she realized what had transpired, Asuka pulled away from Shinji and kicked him right in the knee. The girl walked out of his room, and said, "I expect those panties back _very soon!_"

Shinji nodded and took the garments off, and set about looking for his own boxer shorts. Though he looked and looked, Shinji could find no trace of them.

Wrapping the towel back around his waist, the young Ikari ventured back into the hall.

He spied a white pair of his boxer shorts resting against the door of Asuka's room, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

The young man stepped to her door and slid it open.

Asuka was sitting on her bed with a silly grin on her face. Two of her fingers were pressed against her lips and she giggled a little bit.

This was naturally quite disturbing, because Asuka was never a girl that he had known to _giggle_, and what's more, she was touching her lips.

'Probably imagining it was Kaji…' he thought dismally.

The boy spoke up, "Have you seen my underwear? I saw one of my boxers against your door…"

"Oh er- I didn't see you there, Dummkopf! I think Misato might have decided to have some fun while she was drunk! Now hand over my panties!"

Shinji tossed the girl's undergarments at her, and then received his own from the girl.

The boy looked through his clothes and said, "Hey! My favorite pair is missing!"

The redhead chuckled and her eyes darted around suspiciously while her face turned a bright shade of scarlet, "Heheh… are you sure you didn't misplace them?"

He scratched his head, and then walked out of the room.

Asuka sighed and touched her hips, "I can see why he likes these boxers so much…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Pen-Pen was feeling quite happy right now, he had gotten his revenge on both Shinji and Asuka, and now, he was drinking Misato's beer while she was in the shower.

Though he didn't really know how it happened, one of Asuka's bras became the penguin's hat.

Speaking of the purple haired woman, she had just entered the kitchen wearing about as much as she normally did when it was just she and the two kids, which was quite little. Misato glared at Pen-Pen and screeched, "_MY BEER! THAT'S IT, YOU LITTLEBASTARDBIRD, YOU'RE GONNA DIE_!"

The genetically created bird gave Misato the equivalent of 'the finger,' and started to waddle away.

Before he got too far, Misato tackled the little bird, sending Asuka's used bra sailing through the air.

All Shinji wanted to do was make a little bit of lunch, but instead of eating food, he was forced to eat bra. The bra landed right over Shinji's nose, and he could smell Asuka all over it. Immediately Shinji's face grew beet red.

At that moment, the redhead poked her head out of her room to see what all the commotion was. The sight that greeted her was not exactly something that she was too happy about. Shinji had Asuka's bra from yesterday plastered on his face!

"It smells like Asuka…" he said quietly.

Apparently it wasn't quiet enough, for the German girl heard this and took off running at the boy.

She pulled a 'Misato' and tackled the boy. Asuka landed on top of him and was straddling his waist. "I heard what you said!" she growled in a low voice.

Shinji knew there was only one way out of this. In the most pathetic voice he could muster up, he begged, "If you don't kill me, I'll... uh... I'll... I'll make German food this week! I'll play you some music tonight too!"

She reflected on this for a minute and slammed his head against the ground, and roared, "Fourdays of music and it's a deal!"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

After a very German meal, Asuka was quite wiped out, and decided to go to bed early. "Shinji!" she called to him, "I'm going to bed now! Hurry up, Dummkopf!"

The girl retreated into her room and stripped off her dress. She hopped onto her bed and threw on a large T-shirt. Asuka then rolled on to her side and waited for Shinji to show up. The girl consciously pulled her shirt's neckline down farther, making sure that it would show the most amount of cleavage possible.

The young Ikari timidly shuffled into Asuka's room and looked around for a place to sit.

Asuka smiled coyly and motioned for Shinji to sit on the bed next to her.

Shinji, being a guy, couldn't help but notice Asuka's plunging neckline, and he gaped at the curves of her chest. 'I wonder what they feel lik- _BAD! BAD SHINJI! BAD!_'

The girl grinned, 'Well, at least he noticed them…'

Shinji sat next to Asuka and prepared his cello for playing.

"Soft and calm, or smooth and strong?" he asked quietly.

Asuka just yawned and said, "Pick something! If you don't start playing soon, I'll have to throw you out."

The boy nodded and began to play. A soft melody floated through the air and enveloped the pair. With each note, Asuka felt some sort of magnetism between her and Shinji. It was as if she couldn't bear to not be touching him.

Each part of the song that Shinji played showed a little bit more of his soul to the girl, though he didn't know it. If Shinji knew that his music made him tangible, he would immediately stop and never play another note.

Asuka's fingers danced across Shinji's back and up to his shoulders. Her touch was sending bolts of electricity through his skin, even though his shirt separated the two. Her fingers skipped down to his chest and finally, she embraced him, holding him tightly.

Shinji could feel her firm breasts pressing against his back, and the boy shakily played on.

She showed no signs of stopping.

Asuka's warm breath heated up the Pilot of Unit 01's ear and she whispered, "You play really well, Shinji…"

The redhead's voice trailed off and her head rested on the boy's shoulder. Her red hair tickled his neck and he shivered, "I-I'm not _that_ good…"

"Don't kid yourself, Shinji," she whispered. Her voice had become the same seductive one that she often used on him to get something.

Shinji stopped playing and let the final note of the song hang in the air.

Asuka was sad that the song was over, yet she was also glad, because now was the time to make a move on Shinji.

Again she whispered into his ear, "You know Shinji… you're room is so far away… it's probably cold too… why don't you just stay here with me? I'm sure I can find a way to keep you warm…" Asuka's seductive whispers made even her blush, 'Do I really want that?'

Shinji looked over his shoulder, and paused, "Asuka… I…" Again the boy faltered.

The redhead suddenly froze up, 'Why am I letting Shinji stay in my room?' "You were going to do it, weren't you Dummkopf? Get out, you dork!"

Asuka roughly shoved Shinji from her room and slammed the door shut.

'Heheh… that idiot's face was priceless… Did I actually want him to sleep with me, or was I just teasing him..?'

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji was lying on his bed and thinking, 'What was that about? Her fingers sent electricity up my spine… I love the way she was touching me… BAD! Well… It wasn't _too_ inappropriate, so I'll let it slide. I wonder if she'd let me touch her like that? Now that is crossing the line! _BAD! BAD SHINJI! BAD!_'

He rolled over and turned on his SDAT player.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Asuka could feel his hands all over her body. No inch of skin was safe from Shinji's touch, and Asuka couldn't be enjoying it more. His soft touch sent pleasure shooting through her body.

The redhead felt a strange sensation wash over her. It was as if bliss was ruling her, and she shuddered.

Shinji whispered into her ear, "I love y-"

Asuka was drenched in a sheen sweat and she was panting pretty heavily. She sighed and punched her bed, 'Damn it! It was just a dream! Why can't that idiot do that to me _in real life!_ He was just about to say it…'

A soft knock alerted her to Shinji's presence. Since they had school today, the boy would be waking her up so that she could take her shower.

Asuka slid her door open and scratched her stomach.

Shinji softly said, "We have school today, Asuka."

The girl nodded, and took a few steps forward. Using her heel, Asuka purposely tripped herself, and was flung onto Shinji.

The pair's lips met and Asuka was tempted to enjoy the moment for as long as she could. Instead, Asuka shoved Shinji away and shouted out, "Shinji! You were trying to take advantage of me, weren't you! _Weren't you!_ I just tripped, and you just think you can _kiss_ me?"

Shinji's eyes lit up and he cried out, "Me! You were the… I'm sorry…" Again, Shinji's backbone was stifled by his will to survive.

"Why are you always apologizing!" the redhead screamed and she stomped her foot on top of his and stormed off for the bathroom.

Shinji noted the water running and started to cook breakfast. He dipped some toast into an egg batter then put them into a frying pan. 'I hope she likes French toast…'

Asuka strolled back down the hall with nothing on, 'Hmm… I wonder if he'll notice me _now._'

The girl's damp hair clung to her skin and she continued walking, but Shinji's eyes never strayed from his pan.

'Such a boring little boy…' Asuka thought as she slammed her door shut, with a, "Hmpf!"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji sat at his desk, not paying attention to the teacher, 'I already know this…' The boy glanced over at Rei, who was staring out the window, like usual. Turning to Asuka, he noted that she was vigorously sketching something.

Though his foot still throbbed from earlier, Shinji found that it was hard to stay mad at Asuka.

Closing his eyes, Shinji found a song stuck in his head. It was just some nameless tune that the boy had once played on his cello. The ache of his foot slowly faded into nothingness as he drifted into the Land of Nod.

Asuka shaded in parts of her picture and she blushed slightly. 'Why can't he do this in real life?' In her picture, Shinji was embracing her tightly against his body, and Asuka had her head resting on his chest. Both were blushing furiously. Hey, pictures had to be realistic _sometimes!_

Hikari glanced over at Asuka's notebook and noticed the drawing. 'Ooh! Asuka, I know you are waiting for Shinji to sweep you off of your feet!'

A hulking shadow loomed over the redhead and she slowly put her pencil down and looked up at the source.

Toji Suzuhara snatched Asuka's notebook from her and started to laugh uproariously, "AHAHAHA! Is that Shinj-"

He never was able to finish his sentence, as Asuka had cut him off by kneeing him straight in the manhood.

The girl walked over his groin and then his face as she stomped her way over to Kensuke, who had been filming the whole exchange. Asuka tore the camera from his hands and crushed it in a feat of superhuman strength, or rather, rage.

Shinji, who had been sleeping, was awoken to the massacring of his friends.

Asuka stomped Toji's face while he was on the ground, "Stop trying to look up my skirt, you pervert!"

Once the jock's face had been turned to gravy, Hikari threw salt into his wounds, "Suzuhara! Aida! You two are on clean up duty today... AGAIN !"

Toji groaned and struggled to get to his feet, loosing his balance a few times due to his prosthetic limbs.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji's peaceful slumber was interrupted by a fist slamming right next to his head, "Wake up, idiot!" Asuka had refrained from actually hitting him to work off her own anger, because she had feelings for Shinji.

It was lunch time now, and Asuka had forgotten hers at the apartment. "It's lunch time, you idiot!"

Shinji yawned and stretched his arms, "Alright, Asuka…" He blinked and stood up from his seat.

Asuka returned to her seat and began to rummage through her school bag. The girl let out a barely audible groan and she said, "I forgot my lunch!"

Shinji glanced over at her and held aloft his lunch, "Would you like to-"

Asuka silenced him with a wave of her hand, "No, Dummkopf! You need to eat lunch. I'll just wait until I get home."

The young man met Asuka's gaze and quietly, yet forcefully said, "Yes. You are going to share my lunch. I don't want to hear any complaining either, alright Asuka?"

Asuka looked like she was going to slap him, but then she glanced down at her notebook and smiled lightly, "Thank you, Shinji…"

Shinji stepped forward and embraced the girl tightly, planting kisses up and down her neck.

Asuka's face burned crimson.

Shinji waved his hand in front of Asuka and spoke, "Are you there? How much do you want from my lunch?"

The girl snapped away from her fantasy, hid her blush and said, "I'll figure that out after you open it."

The pair walked up to the roof and Shinji produced a lunch box, though from where, Asuka couldn't tell.

Shinji nodded and opened his lunch box, "I uh… I couldn't help but… um… you look nice today Asuka…"

The redhead's lips curled up into a droll smile, and she faked pouting, "Are you saying that I _don't_ look good everyday?"

The boy stammered and attempted to come up with a response, but nothing came to his lips.

Asuka's mind was screaming in joy, '_He did it! He did it! Shinji just complimented ME!_'

Shinji simply allowed Asuka to take what she wanted from his lunch, and then devoured the rest.

Asuka grinned at Shinji, "Thank you for sharing your lunch with me, Shinji." She quickly hugged him, and then kissed him on the cheek before running off back to class.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji awoke to the shrill sound of his alarm clock, and he quickly slammed the snooze button. Shinji rolled out of bed and turned off his alarm clock.

'I had better wake up Asuka… she needs to take her morning shower,' he thought.

Shinji tugged at his shirt and scratched his head. He silently plodded through the apartment and hesitated at Asuka's door. He steeled his resolve and stepped inside.

Asuka was a lump under the covers of her bed. Shinji took a few steps towards her and could hear that she was mumbling.

"Asuka… Asuka! It's time to wake up," he said. Shinji, seeing that she wasn't going to wake up any time soon, grabbed a hold of her covers and peeled them away from her body.

Asuka shivered and moved around a little bit. "Mmmm… stop teasing me!" she groaned.

Shinji could see the sheen of sweat on Asuka, and had no clue what to think. He sighed, "She's probably dreaming of Kaji again…"

Asuka's next words set off red alert in Shinji's mind. "Shinji… that feels great…"

The Third Child turned and glanced at the scantly clad German. He sighed, "I'll give her five more minutes…" Shinji reached down and gripped the blankets that had been tossed aside.

The redhead's arms shot forward and grabbed Shinji around the neck. Her lips touched his, and she lifted herself up to his body.

Shinji gasped when he felt Asuka's body pressed against his own, and was even more surprised once she rolled and threw him on the bed. Asuka was now lying on top of Shinji, her lips locked with his.

Asuka was blissfully asleep, and she didn't realize that her dreams were being acted out on the very person she dreamt about. Her lips released Shinji's and Asuka lightly bit his neck, sending a wave of shivers down the boy's spine.

Shinji was in a complete daze. He had lost his basic thinking skills, and his body simply lay there, under the weight of Asuka's body.

Her fingers danced across his chest and her lips traveled back to Shinji's. About halfway through the kiss, Asuka's eyes snapped open.

'What am I- Who is- Is that Shinji? Am I really kissing Shinji?' Asuka thought. Where her lips not occupied, they would have curled into a smile. Both Shinji and Asuka's faces were bright red.

Asuka closed her eyes again, and continued to kiss Shinji for a little while.

Shinji was a nuclear reactor reaching critical mass, 'What is- Asuka just woke up, right? Why hasn't she- Why am I-'

The girl untangled her legs from around Shinji's and stood up. She was blushing furiously, but she just turned around and left her room.

Shinji's heart was beating hundreds of times faster than usual, and he could feel his ribs rattle with each beat. Asuka's scent was all around him, enveloping him, and it was intoxicating. Countless times since Asuka had moved in with him, Shinji had wished to find himself in this position.

He heard the water kick on in the bathroom, and he realized that Asuka was taking a shower. She was going about acting like nothing had even happened.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Asuka felt like she was on a cloud. She grinned as the thoughts of her and Shinji resurfaced, 'That was one_ hell_ of an alarm clock!'

Asuka could still feel the heat coming from her cheeks, and she ran her fingers through her wet hair as the water coursed down her body.

The girl picked up the bottle of shampoo and quickly deposited some of it onto her fiery locks of hair. Her hands worked up a rich lather over her hair, and Asuka smelled the subtle strawberry scent.

The steaming water pushed away the lather of shampoo and left Asuka's hair its usual silky self.

Asuka turned off the water and seized a towel from the rack. The girl quickly dried her hair and the rest of her body, and then threw the towel over her shoulder.

She stood there for a moment, 'Should I go out _naked?_ Or should I just go to my room? I think I'll spare him… he's probably shocked enough as it is.'

Asuka's damp hair was tossed behind her and she padded back to her room. Her wet hair clung to her skin as she stepped into the cool air in the apartment. She felt a chill pass through her body and she wrapped the skimpy towel tighter around her body.

The German redhead stepped into her room and quickly threw the towel into a laundry basket. She retrieved a clean set of undergarments and dressed herself. The girl glanced back at her bed, subconsciously she already knew that Shinji had left her room, but you could never be too sure.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji stood at the stove and pensively stirred the batter of the pancakes. 'Why did she keep on doing that…? I know she woke up half way through, but… Asuka could never love a coward like me…'

The redhead stepped out into the kitchen with her school uniform on, and glanced at Shinji, who was wearing casual clothes. "Dummkopf! We have to go to school! You might want to get your uniform on!"

He kept his vision on the batter and mumbled, "No… Ritsuko just called... shesaid that we have Synch tests instead of school today."

The girl let out a breath of relief and grinned, "Thank God! I hate wearing this outfit! It makes my boobs look small!"

Shinji turned around slightly and blushed, "Well… they don't look small to me…"

Secretly, that was the reaction she was hoping for, but Asuka had to maintain her appearance. "_YOU WERE STARING AT MY BOOBS! YOU PERVERT!_"

Shinji's head drooped. Once he looked back up, he fixed his fiery eyes on the girl, "_It's not my fault that you wave your boobs around in my face all the time!_"

Asuka took a step back from surprise, and then lunged forward, her hand whipping out in front of her.

Shinji simply raised his own hand and blocked her slap, and grabbed her wrist. She swung with the other hand and he caught that wrist and stepped close to her body, so that she couldn't kick him in the jewels.

Shinji glared right into her eyes, "You treat me like dirt… Do you know what you've done to me? I was happy to live alone and without conflict. All you've done is bring me pain and misery… Leave me alone…"

Asuka felt tears threaten her eyes, and she furiously blinked them away. "Shinji, I…"

Shinji felt the anger in his bloodsurge, "_Spare it, Asuka_! I already know how much you hate me!" The young man let go of the redhead and stepped away.

He expected Asuka to try to hit him again, and frankly, that is exactly what he wanted. He needed to be hit after saying that to Asuka. 'I… I can't believe I just said that to Asuka… I just… I just ruined any chance that may have even been remotely possible.'

She turned away and stalked out of the apartment, "See you at NERV, _Third Child_."

She was gone. The only thing that was left was pain. 'I knew it… I tried to open up to her… I really did. She is exactly like father… she uses people until she gets what she wants… I was just one small pawn on a giant chess board…'

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Asuka sat in the entry plug for Unit 02 and hugged her knees tightly to her body. 'I'm such a screw up… The one boy I actually like completely hates me… and it's all _my_ fault. I'm such a bitch… The kids at school were right…'

A small video connection opened in Asuka's cockpit and she glanced up, only to be met with deep red eyes. "Is there something wrong, Pilot Sohryu?"

Asuka grimaced, 'Oh great… just what I need right now, Wondergirl!'

Rei repeated her question, and Asuka could feel that there was some sort of emotion behind it. Could there be concern in the cold heart of Rei Ayanami?

"Yeah… I… I just had a fight with Shinji…" she whispered. Asuka's voice seemed like it would crack at any moment.

Rei nodded, "I see… Would you be comfortable to talk of this event pertaining to Ikari with me?"

Asuka almost laughed, even though tears were clearly streaming down her eyes. "Why are you helping me? I thought you wanted Shinji for yourself…"

The First Child blankly stared and replied in her usual monotone voice, "I have recently been enlightened on the difference between friendship and attraction. I do not feel any sort of attraction to Ikari. I simply wish for him to be happy."

"Rei… Thanks… Well… I made a comment about my school uniform not doing my figure justice, and Shinji kinda mentioned that my figure was fine even in that crappy uniform. I called him a pervert and he started yelling. After trying to hit him, I just kinda left and came here." Asuka pulled her legs closer to her body and rested her forehead on her knees.

Rei's eyes never blinked once, and she finally spoke after a long pause, "Why did you try to hit him?"

Asuka kept her head on her knees, "I don't know… It was just an impulse… If I hadn't then… then he might realize how I feel…"

"Do you love him?" the blue haired girl asked softly. Rei had caught Asuka in a vulnerable moment, and had somehow got past Asuka's walls. Maybe this is what real friends were like.

The redhead sighed, "I do… but I can't trust anyone… not after Mama…"

The red eyed girl blinked and asked the toughest question out there, "Why?"

Asuka pressed her head into her leg and whispered, "Because he'll betray me… I'd never be the same…"

"Would you still not be Pilot Sohryu? By acting this way, do you not know that you also are betraying the trust he has placed in you? You are hurting Ikari in the same way that you fear to be hurt."

Tears dripped onto Asuka's legs and she slowly began to sob, "What have I done, Shinji? What have I done?"

Rei could feel a profound sadness within the fiery redhead, and it awakened an emotion that she had never felt before: Anger. She was angry at Shinji for doing this to Asuka. The blue haired girl knew that Shinji felt something for Asuka, and that his words were spoken in the midst of a blinding fury, but that didn't excuse him.

If Shinji couldn't be nice to Asuka, then who could be? The young Ikari was the only one to truly reach out to Asuka, and if _he_ couldn't abide by her, then how will she ever be healed on the inside?

**

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****Author's Notes: **Okay, it's a nice cliffhanger there. Questions, Comments, Concerns? Let's hit that review button down there, shall we? Yes, in the outtakes, I make fun of that uses '1337.' This isn't a way of speaking, but rather, it is the newest addition to the Special Olympics. Note that I didn't write out the 1337 part. I had somebody else do it, because the task is below me. Flame me all you want for it, but that outtake will remain. Muahahaha!

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**Outtakes**

**-**

**Mortal Kombat**

Shinji was tired of Asuka's bitching. "It's time to end this in the only way that I know how… Mortal Kombat!"

Asuka grinned and went to turn on the game system, but was attacked by Shinji, who was flying through the air with his leg in front of him.

Asuka took the blow and stumbled against the wall before launching a giant fireball back at the boy.

A knife clicked open and a wet, squelching noise echoed through the apartment.

The knife slowly retracted into its handle, and blood dripped off of it.

Pen-Pen Wins.

**Fatality.**

**(--------)**

**PETA would be proud**

Shinji was under Asuka and the girl ferociously kissed him, though she was in the middle of her dreams.

Asuka's eyes snapped open, and she felt something hard in her mouth. She glanced down, and saw a giant yellow beak.

"I can't believe I just made out with Pen-Pen…"

**Assassination/Humiliation**

"j00r 5uch a n00b!" Kensuke cried as he shot one of the Terrorists in the face with the auto-sniper, using an aimbot.

Of course, this was the first time that the nerd had actually killed this player. It had taken a while, but ninety-eight deaths later, Kensuke had resorted to using his '1337 h4xxo2 5ki11z.'

The bespectacled boy leaned back in his seat as he read a death threat and sighed, "_STFU KID!_"

Of course, he could never know that BeerBird just happened to know where he lives.

Pen-Pen slowly shimmied down a black rope and flicked open his switchblade, "Squawk wark! Kuh Squawwwwwk war-wark! (Bitch please! I told you I'd kill you!)"

Before he had time to react, Pen-Pen buried the knife deep into the geek's skull.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji sat at the table and watched the television.

_So far, only a pair of bloody glasses has been found. The police are working day and night to try and figure out who could've committed such a brutal and heinous act._

'Hey… those look like Kensuke's glasses… oh well…' Shinji thought as he changed the channel.

Misato called out to Shinji, "Shinji! Did you change the meat in this soup _again?_"

Shinji replied back to the obviously intoxicated woman, "I didn't cook! It was Pen-Pen. He insisted!"


	5. I Look at You with Different Eyes

**Foreword: **Okay, yes. Stuff is happening... I'm just kinda wasting time with this, aren't I?

**A Special Thanks To: Draknal**, you're so special that you get **BOLD** letters. Bryan, Still have to thank you, man. Thanks for helping.

**

* * *

**

**I Look at You with Different Eyes**

Shinji felt two eyes follow his every move. At first, he thought it was Asuka, but he glanced at the girl, whose hands where tightened in fists. Asuka kept her eyes focused on her desk, and her notebook that had been violently thrown into her backpack.

The boy glanced around the room and felt quite unsettled when he noticed Rei's unblinking, scarlet orbs focused on him.

Shinji typed in a few letters on his laptop, and hit the enter button with a quick rap. -Why are you staring at me, Ayanami?-

He received a concise answer that was typical for Rei. -You know what you did.-

The Pilot of Unit 01 snapped his laptop shut and crossed his arms.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Fiery strands of hair swished around the corner as Asuka slammed her door shut. 'This sucks… I can't stand to look at Shinji, but I keep doing it… Damn you, Shinji! Why do you have to look so cu- Just stop right there, Asuka. If you think it, you'll have to give Misato your chocolate bars…'

Asuka dove onto her bed and pulled a shoe box out of her super-secret hiding place and checked to see that all of her chocolate bars were completely safe.

'Never! I will NEVER give up my chocolate!' she thought furiously.

The redhead kicked open her door and sauntered into the kitchen, where a meal was set out for both her and Misato.

Asuka heard a door shut in the hallway, and immediately knew from the timid step that it was Shinji.

'Oh well… That Dummkopf is probably just going to listen to his damn SDAT all night.'

A loud crash followed by a string of curses quickly revealed Misato Katsuragi's presence.

"Get back here you goddamned pigeon! I'll kick your ass if you don't hand over my beer!" she screamed at the fleeing Pen-Pen.

Grinning like the Cheshire Cat, Misato threw out the threat that would make even Pen-Pen freeze with fear. "If you don't gimme that beer… Commander Ikari was asking about you. Think he wants a pet?" Misato's innocent face hid a deeply malevolent intent.

The beer immediately dropped from the penguin's beak.

The Operations Director snatched the alcoholic beverage from the ground and quickly snapped it open, then proceeded to down its contents.

Asuka shook her head and rolled her eyes, "God! I know what to get you for Christmas at least!"

Misato's ears perked up at the mention of Christmas, and Asuka continued with a smirk. "I'll get you a recommendation for a good Alcoholics Anonymous class."

The older woman glowered as she reached for the refrigerator to grab another beer, "That mouth of yours will get you into trouble some day! It'll probably put you on some rough waters with the boys, Asuka."

The girl clenched her fist angrily while she stared at the floor and she quietly said, "It already has…"

The redhead turned and flew into her room, dinner completely forgotten.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Check," called out a cold and callous voice. Shinji immediately recognized it as his father's.

There was a weight in his right hand, and he glanced down to find his own reflection staring back at him through a shiny katana.

Shinji almost dropped it from fright, but managed to keep control of his hands.

The sounds of battles echoed through the darkness, and Shinji heard a familiar call, "Idiot!"

'Asuka! It has to be Asuka!' he thought as he attempted to rush towards the flash of crimson hair.

Invisible walls held Shinji within the ebony square, like a mime, though this wasn't intentional.

The pieces shifted, and Asuka ended up next to Shinji as she smote another foe with her glaive. It seemed as though she were invincible.

"Hey Dumb Ass! I can't believe you're making _your queen_ do all of the work around here!" Asuka's sapphire eyes pierced into Shinji's and she scratched at her scalp, just under the silver tiara that replaced her Neural Interface Clips.

Shinji's hair quivered slightly as he rapidly shook his head with small motions. "Y-Y-You're _m-m-my_ queen?"

The girl grinned and ran her fingers through her hair, "Well! There's nobody more qualified than _me_, _is there_? I'm smart, strong, and _beautiful_." Asuka's smug tone was the same as it usually was.

"W-What does that make me?" Shinji managed to stammer out.

The German shook her head in disgust and sighed, "It makes you _King_ Dumb Ass! You're so dense sometimes!"

Asuka twirled her spear around a few times, and waited for the answer to sink into her 'husband.'

Shinji's thought process was interrupted by a large Pen-Pen with a menacing knife held out in front of him. The penguin slowly advanced upon Shinji, and Asuka looked over at him with turmoil shining in her eyes.

Though Asuka was between the two, she slowly backed out of her square, freeing the path between the menacing bird and Shinji.

The pseudo-Pen-Pen raised his knife and buried it deep within Shinji's chest.

He felt himself falling, and his sword dropped from his hands, 'I'm going to die…'

A loud clatter was heard and Shinji's blurred vision barely made out Asuka's form, and her spear was at her feet.

Her face was a mask of indifference. She didn't look sad, yet she didn't look happy. Shinji glanced into Asuka's eyes, and noticed that they were shining, just as though tears were forming.

'It's probably just the light… Asuka wouldn't cry over somebody like_ me_…'

"Checkmate…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Bullets of icy sweat dripped from Shinji's brow as he frantically patted at his body, making sure that his dream was just that, a dream.

He closed his eyes and rolled over, as he let out a bitter sigh, "Damn dreams…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Asuka glared at the damn thing that had _dared_ to wake her up, and she snatched it. Her hands clamped down on the cursed machine and shattered it into pieces. Grinning sadistically, the girl whipped the alarm clock at her wall. The resounding thud helped to ease her pain somewhat.

'This sucks… I didn't sleep well at _all_ last night! Could it be because of Shin- Asuka! If you even try to finish that, no more chocolates for a week! Anyway… I liked yesterday's wakeup call better!'

Asuka's mind was raging. She didn't know if she still liked Shinji or not, and if she did, if it was anything more.

Sighing, Asuka ripped open her door and plodded into the kitchen. She knew that Shinji was avoiding her, so he was most likely in his room.

The redhead stomped down the hall and into the bathroom. She tore off her clothes and stopped at her waist.

'I still have Shinji's boxers… I can't believe _I'm_ perverted enough to keep them.' Asuka was not too overjoyed at this, but then she remembered how the boxer shorts felt, and completely disregarded how she would usually act.

The girl slid under the gentle caress of the warm, streaming water.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

As soon as Asuka stepped into the shower, Shinji knocked on the bathroom door and called out in a flat voice, "I'm leaving."

The redhead hesitated to answer, but when she did, it almost seemed sad, "Alright…"

Shinji stepped out of the door with all of his school stuff, and made his way down the streets of Tokyo III. Each step carried him closer to his school, and further away from Asuka.

'What the hell is going on with me? I don't know how I feel about Asuka any more. One moment I feel like I love her, but the next I absolutely hate her. What's wrong with me? It's all my fault… It always is… I… I really do think that I love Asuka, but sometimes she just pushes me over the edge.'

Shinji snapped from his musings when he realized that he had reached his destination: School. He knew that he was pretty early, and that hardly anyone would be here. Not even the Class Representative would have shown up yet.

The young Ikari stepped through a small courtyard that he didn't even know existed, and was drawn in by a light sound.

A boy close to his age sat at one of the stone benches, and focused on tuning an electric guitar that was across his lap, and the amp was resting against his leg. His ruffled, silver hair swayed in the slight wind. The boy looked up and saw Shinji watching his every move.

"Come on over here. You have some spare time, right?" the boy asked.

Shinji reluctantly stepped towards him and sat down on a bench near him.

"I want you to tell me what you think of this. It's a type of music that you probably don't hear very much over here in Japan. Call me a pioneer or a devil's advocate, I don't really care."

The tune started as a slow and sad dirge, but it slowly picked up pace until he was literally moving his fingers at the speed of light. It was quickly becoming an enthralling tune that emanated an aura of determination.

Shinji felt like his jaw was dropping open. All he could do is tap his fingers to the beat. Never before had Shinji been exposed to this type of music. All that he could find in Japan was classical music or music where the singers had annoyingly high voices. Those voices that could literally shatter mirrors.

The silver haired one stopped playing and let the tune fade into the sounds of the day. He glanced at Shinji expectantly and said, "Well? How was it?"

The Pilot, genuinely surprised, replied, "It was awesome! A hell of a lot better than the stuff our musicians come out with."

He grinned and slung the guitar over his back, "By the way, I'm Kaworu Nagisa. So just call me Kaworu or something."

The brown haired boy nodded and responded, "I'm Shinji… Ikari… You can call me Shinji, if you want."

Kaworu shrugged, "Whatever. Hey, I need a favor."

Shinji eyed him cautiously. The last person to ask for a favor was Asuka, and that hadn't turned out very well.

The silver haired youth continued, "I'm new here. Just transferred in yesterday, and I have no clue where I have to go. Think you could help me?"

There was no possible way that something so simple could harm him, so Shinji agreed.

Shinji took a piece of paper from the other boy and glanced at it. "Well… It looks like you're in my class, so you can just follow me."

Kaworu shrugged, "Whatever." The boy glanced down at his shirt and tugged at it, smoothing out the ruffles.

The two began walking in silence, until Kaworu spoke up again, "You had your fingers tapping… You're the first one I've known that has actually kept up with my guitar."

Shinji smiled sheepishly and shrugged, "I guess so…"

Silver spikes shivered in the wind as Kaworu scratched furiously at his ear. "Hey, I want you to meet me after school at my place. Okay?"

The Third Child warily nodded his head, "I… Yeah…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"What the hell is that idiot doing! Why is he trying so hard to avoid me? It's not like it was that big of a fight…" Asuka grumbled as she slung her school bag over her shoulder.

Though Hikari was going to be walking with her, Asuka still would miss the constant presence of the timid young man. She would never admit it to anybody but herself, and maybe Hikari, but Asuka was too afraid of losing anyone that came close to her.

Asuka stepped out of her apartment and took the elevator down to the ground floor, where Hikari Horaki greeted her. "Good morning, Asuka!"

"Well, it was a good morning before I woke up," the girl replied sourly. Asuka dragged her feet on the ground and continually tugged at her skirt to get it smooth.

Hikari was chatting happily, but Asuka paid no heed. The day was like any other. To all the denizens of Tokyo III, it was a perfect day. To Asuka, it was a reminder of something she couldn't have. She could never be as cheerful as the sun, or as careless as the wind.

There was a slight rustle, and Asuka glanced over to see a cute little squirrel. It was blissfully pushing about a few acorns, and one of them barely tapped Asuka's shoe.

Twitch.

Twitch.

The redhead knelt down and petted the furry creature, and gave the acorn back to it.

Her hands shot out and she seized it by the back of its neck. "_WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING! I'LL SMASH YOUR LITTLE FACE I-_"

Hikari pulled Asuka off of the helpless little animal and calmed her down, "Asuka! Asuka! It's just a squirrel!"

The redheaded demon folded her arms and stomped her foot.

The Class Rep glared at her and asked, "Jesus, Asuka! Why are you so angry?"

Asuka glanced into Hikari's eyes, and saw that she wasn't backing down from this one. Before she spilled her guts to Hikari, she made her swear to never repeat this conversation to anyone ever again.

"Well… Shinji and I were at home… In the past few days I had tried to make countless moves on him, but he just kept turning them aside, like he didn't even notice."

The freckled girl sighed, "Asuka, he's a boy. If I remember right, you said that he was denser than lead. You have to spell it out for him!"

Asuka sighed and continued her story, "Well… it all started yesterday. Shinji told me that we had synch tests and I was ready for school… I said something about hating my uniform because it makes my boobs look small. Shinji replied back saying that they didn't look small to him, so I kinda… blew up on him… but-"

The redhead could feel tears threatening her sapphire eyes, and she pressed on, "But… He exploded on _me_. He… he told me that he hates me… that all I do is bring him pain."

Hikari placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and reassured her, "Don't worry about it Asuka. Shinji may have snapped, but he could never hate anyone… more or less you. He was just angry. He'll have cooled off by now though."

The redhead grimaced, "You know, Hikari… I just can't figure him out sometimes. I know that I feel something for him…but I just can't place it…"

The Class Rep squeezed her shoulder, "I think I know how you feel, Asuka. Shinji is a good person. If anyone truly loves you, it's him. He may have gotten angry, but I bet he's feeling rotten right now."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

The Teacher rose from his seat and motioned to the door, "Class, please welcome a new student, Kaworu Nagisa."

The silver haired youth shrugged as he walked in, "Whatever. Where can I dump my shit?"

"Mister Nagisa, we do not condone that kind of language at this school," the teacher said, as close to shouting as he had been in fifty years. This was still pretty quiet.

The young man turned to the teacher as he took his guitar off of his back, "Shut up, old man. What are you gonna do about it?" After a pause of a few seconds, he continued with a smirk, "Exactly!"

The boy tossed his bag under his chair then gingerly set down his guitar. He plopped down in the seat next to Rei and flashed to her a grin. Said 'grin' was obviously not returned.

The boy pulled out his laptop and was instantly hammering away at the keys.

Shinji looked up at his computer as the screen flashed. He clicked on the button that allowed him access to the conversation.

-Hey, it's me. What's up?- the message read. As Shinji looked around, he saw Kaworu turn to him and smirk.

Shinji tapped some of the keys and pressed send, -Oh, nothing really, and you?-

The sliver haired youth shook his head and replied, -Same here. What's the deal with this Ayanami chick?-

The Third Child threw a glare into the back of his head and replied, -You shouldn't call people that, Kaworu… Why did you act so disrespectfully towards the teacher?-

-If you act all subservient then the teachers will think they control you. I can't have that, now can I?- Shinji wasn't really expecting a real explanation, so this answer didn't surprise him that much.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Red hair cascaded down her back, and her cerulean eyes glanced around the room. They lingered on the silver haired boy for less than a second before they skipped back to Shinji. The girl sighed and shook her head lightly, 'I can't have him… he's too good for me…'

A light beep from Asuka's computer pulled her from her day dreaming. The redhead opened the message and read it. –Are you just gonna stare at him all day or what?–

Asuka felt fire creep into her mind and she furiously typed back, -Oh shut up, Hikari! This is something that's important to me!-

-Why don't you just make a move on him?- the class rep typed back.

-Because, - Asuka hammered away, -I'm not sure if he's still angry with me! He has every right to be! I just wish… Never mind.-

Fingers clacked against the plastic keys, and Asuka received her response from Hikari. –You should just go up to him and apologize! Look, if you really want to know how he feels, just watch him carefully tonight, okay?-

The redhead frowned, but took her advice to heart.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

The wind was indecisive. It wasn't sure whether it should be a gentle zephyr or a raging storm. As a result, it was an erratic mixture that fluctuated between the two.

This didn't faze the Third Child in the least, and he just walked with Kaworu. Shinji saw a flash of red, and Asuka bounded up to him. "Hey, Shinji! Are you going to be home early or should Misato and I just order take out?"

The boy shifted his weight from one foot to the other, 'At least she's talking to me… I don't deserve Asuka… She could never love such an insecure coward like me…' "Well… I don't know… it would be safe to order out…"

The redhead smiled softly and turned, though her hand brushed against Shinji's.

The silver haired boy turned to the blushing Shinji and his jaw almost fell off, "Whoa! What a _babe!_"

The Third Child shot a sideways glare at the boy and his expression darkened considerably. "Her name is _Asuka!_" he said in a quiet but forceful voice.

The red eyed youth's eyes narrowed and he apologized, "Sorry, man. I didn't know she was taken."

The young Ikari glanced around and asked, "She's taken? By who?"

Kaworu grinned, 'She's taken all right… he just doesn't realize that it's _him _that she wants…' "Wow… You are kinda thick, aren't you? That girl is taken by _you_. I can tell by the way she looks at you."

Shinji looked at the ground dismally, and sighed, "Yeah… Right… I don't think she could ever even _like_ me. I'm just a weakling… I can't do anything right."

The silver haired boy ran his fingers through his hair, and sighed, "Whatever you say, man. Just follow me, okay?"

The Third Child warily nodded and followed Kaworu down the street.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"So… What are we doing here?" Shinji asked. The large apartment was a pristine white color, and Kaworu scoffed as he threw his shoes at the wall in an attempt to mar their color.

Finally tearing himself away from the task at hand, the silver haired boy led Shinji into what he believed to be his room. "Well… I want to check something."

This… room, and I use that term loosely, was not what Shinji had been expecting. It was gigantic, and seemed bigger than Misato's whole apartment. On the farthest wall from the pair, a glaring, red handprint was plastered. It was completely out of place in the white room, but then again, Kaworu wasn't exactly normal.

The boy deposited his guitar next to his bed as he plugged in the amp. Kaworu reached under his bed's mattress and pulled out a pair of drum sticks. He tossed them to the young Ikari and said, "Sit down at the drum set."

Shinji did as was bidden, and he examined the drums with a critical eye. A tune picked itself up from behind Shinji, and Kaworu spoke over the noise, "Think you can keep up on those drums? Just play to the beat or something…"

At first, Kaworu played a slow but powerful song, and Shinji, somehow, managed to play to the beat. He was quickly relaxing behind the drum set, and his hands moved with more purpose as he learned what each drum sounded like.

The red eyed boy's hair drooped over his eyes and seemed to cover most of his face. He smirked and quietly said, "Let's rock!"

The tune pulled away from the slow tempo and quickly turned into a raging inferno of music. Shinji was straining to keep up with Kaworu's feverish pace, but it all snapped at one single moment.

He stopped worrying about how Kaworu would see him if he failed to keep up. He stopped caring if he couldn't play the drums. He stopped thinking about every minor detail.

He let his defenses down.

Shinji twirled the drumsticks around his fingers and set to the drums with an astounding ferocity. To onlookers, it would seem that Shinji's hands were just blurs that were in constant motion.

Kaworu was astounded. 'Damn! Shinji's a natural! I've never met a better drummer! He was a little nervous at first, but once he calmed down… Just look at him go!' His silver locks were shaking as he strummed the guitar, coaxing it to sing. Raising his hand, the boy slammed it down in one final strum, effectively bringing it to conclusion.

The Pilot of Unit 01 felt drained after that song, yet it felt good. It was a strange new sensation. He was tired, yet he felt something. He felt proud. Shinji was proud that he could do something right for a change.

Running a hand through his hair, Kaworu looked at Shinji, "You're a hell of a drummer, Ikari. What do you say to joining up with me? We could play some badass music."

Shinji hesitated, as his barriers were erecting themselves yet again. He began to decline, but then remembered the feeling of pride he felt. 'Asuka… I wonder if she'd be proud of me…' Shinji had made up his mind, "I'll do it."

The silver haired boy grinned and said, "Solid. By the way, you'll need some drums to practice, so you can take those." He pointed to the drums that Shinji had previously been playing. Since they were Electric Drums, they were quite easy to move.

Kaworu smirked, 'This is awesome. I finally have somebody who can keep up with my guitar playing.'

Shinji Ikari timidly touched the drums, "Th-Th-These are _m-mine_?"

"Ain't that what I just said?" replied the guitarist.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

'It's… always the same, isn't it? There is no getting around it… It always happens the same way. What's my problem? Is there something seriously wrong with me? I think there could be… When… When he's not here, I'm all alone… Nobody wants to stand with me… I'm all alone, but I'm doing my best… Sometimes, that isn't good enough. I want Shinji… but I only want _him_ if he wants _me_.'

"Asuka, dinner's here," called out Misato's voice. The purple haired woman had already sucked down back-to-back beers, and was ready to devour some food.

A shrill ringing sound shattered the usual atmosphere, for nobody really called the Katsuragi household on _purpose_… except Misato's contacts within Yebisu beer.

The redhead swiped the phone off of the hook and flatly asked, "What…?"

A familiar voice spoke back to her, "Hey Asuka. How is everything at home?"

"Shinji!" the girl squealed. Once she had calmed herself down, she continued speaking, "Well… we ordered out, but it's not nearly as good as what _you_ cook."

"O-Oh? Th-Thanks Asuka!" he replied, genuinely surprised. "Well, I just called to say that I'll be back home soon. Okay?"

Asuka breathed out an inaudible sigh of relief, "I was beginning to worry about where you'd gone."

The Third Child was confused and asked her straightforwardly, "Wh-Why?"

Asuka slapped her face into her hands and sighed as she explained her reasons, "Because, Dummkopf, we're friends… even though you _are_ a moron sometimes…"

Shinji hesitated for a moment, and then spoke almost timidly, "A-Asuka…? Thank you…"

Asuka said her goodbye and set the phone down in its place. The redhead plodded to her chair and sat down in it before preparing to eat dinner.

"Wow, Asuka!" Misato said as she smiled a devious smile, "Your tone sure changed pretty quickly when you realized that it was Shinji on the phone."

The Second Child blushed and folded her arms in a huff, "Shut up, Misato!"

The Operations Director sighed, "One of these days, you're going to learn to take a joke."

Asuka glowered in her seat, and waited. After what seemed like hours, Asuka finally spoke, "Misato… do… do you think that Shinji likes me?"

The woman sipped at her beer can and held the liquid against the tip of her tongue, as if savoring it. Misato finally swallowed the alcohol and tilted her head slightly, "I must have heard wrong. Say that again."

Asuka could feel her rage building and she managed a scathing whisper, "That's not funny, Misato. You know _damn well_ what I said!"

The older woman smiled kindly, "Don't get so mad, Asuka. I was just making sure that I heard you right. I don't want to see Shinji get hurt… I wanted to know if you were being serious or not."

The German redhead folded her hands in her lap and stared at them, "I know, Misato… I know… I… I just don't think that he could like a person like me… more or less _love_ me."

Misato sighed, 'She's got the exact same thoughts as Shinji does…' "Asuka, look, you should give Shinji a little more credit."

"Then, he feels like I do!" Asuka cried with glee shining in her sapphire eyes.

Misato fixed a solemn gaze upon the redhead and slowly shrugged her shoulders, "Only he knows. You'll just have to ask him."

"Ask him? I… I can't…" the fiery Eva Pilot replied.

NERV's Operations tilted her head and shot a quizzical look across the table. "Why not?"

"I… I'm scared, I guess… I don't want to be rejected… Bet you think I'm a weakling, don't you?"

Misato shook her head and smiled, "No, Asuka… You're strong, because you can realize your own faults and try to change them. That is what really matters. If you truly, _truly_ love Shinji, you'll have to _tell_ him. After all, he _is_ just a _male_."

Asuka chuckled lightly at Misato repeating her own insult and nodded.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji sighed as he opened the door to the place he called home. He swallowed the lump of chocolate that inhabited his mouth and stuffed the wrapper into his pocket.

"I'm home… not that anyone cares…" he said in his usual, dejected tone.

He saw a flash of red, and noticed Asuka standing there looking at him with a barely visible smile set on her lips. She folded her arms just under her breasts and said, "Hey, Idiot. Why were you out so late?"

He had to mask his smile at her title for him. "Oh… I was with Kaworu. He wanted me to come over after school…"

The redhead stepped towards him and touched his shoulder. Though Shinji's heart fluttered, the girl continued and looked over it, examining the large case strapped to his back.

"What_ is_ this anyway?" she asked as she let her fingers trail on Shinji's shoulder. Asuka purposely left her hand on Shinji, because, strangely enough, he brought her comfort.

Shinji forced his stumbling voice to say something explaining the pack on his back, "I-I-It's a set of d-drums… K-Kaworu gave them to me, so that I can practice."

The redhead seemed appeased… for now. She reluctantly removed her fingers from Shinji's shoulder, but finally managed to tear them away from him.

Faint traces of red were visible on Shinji's cheeks and the boy averted his eyes from Asuka. 'Why is she acting so much differently? I thought she was mad at me…'

The German girl allowed herself a small grin, 'At least he isn't running away this time… I know he won't grow a spine very quickly,' Asuka's smile softened and she finished her thought, 'But I wouldn't have it any other way.'

A sparkling beam of light caught Asuka's eye, and she immediately glanced at Shinji's pocket. Deep within the confines of his pocket, the wrapper of Shinji's devoured chocolate bar gleamed in the sudden light of the apartment.

With the speed that they were moving at, Asuka's hands became naught more than blurs. Her left hand snaked around Shinji's body and pulled him close to her own. She could feel his surprise through the sharp breath he took as she pulled on him. Asuka's right hand slid into Shinji's pocket, in search for the candy bar.

The Third Child could feel Asuka's breasts pressing against shoulder, and her arms encircling him. To top it off, Asuka was now reaching into his pocket! "A-A-Asuka! W-What are you doing!" Shinji's face was a brighter red than Asuka's own hair.

Deep within Shinji's back, his spine woke up from a rough night, and was still quite buzzed.

The Third Child's arm slid around Asuka's waist as she continued digging in his pocket. If Asuka even noticed, she didn't move or become angry, which surprised Shinji even more than his actions.

Ripping her hand out of the boy's pocket, she held the golden foil aloft. "_I KNEW IT! YOU ARE THE THIEF!_"

The young man's arm stayed around her waist, but he cringed, "What are you talking about Asuka? I found that candy bar with my stuff on the table this morning."

The redhead shouted at him, "_HOW COULD YOU MISTAKE IT? IT HAD MY NAME WRITTEN ON IT IN PLAIN SIGHT!_"

With the reflexes of a cat, Shinji's automated defenses kicked in, "I-I'm sorry!"

Asuka's head drooped and her lips were drawn into a pout. "Do you know how hard it is to get that kind of chocolate all the way over here in Japan, you moron?"

Again, Shinji repeated his autonomous apologies.

The redhead sighed, 'He's already got me in his grasps, why doesn't he just kiss me or even do _anything_?' "Dummkopf! It's _really_ expensive! It was straight from Germany…" 'Come on, Shinji! Do _anything!_ I don't care what, just _do something!_'

Shinji was deathly afraid of Asuka's wrath. He had seen her like this before. It was just after Pen-Pen had moved Asuka's chocolate bars. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to remove his arm.

Asuka sighed inwardly, 'He's probably paralyzed with fear… I can't just let him get off the hook though!' "_GET OFF OF ME, YOU PERVERT!_"

The last thing that Shinji remembered seeing was a fist, steadily growing larger. Before he had a chance to duck, Asuka's knuckles kissed Shinji in a furious rage.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Don't it figure? Asuka must be a freaking boxer (like me!). She just K.O.'d the crap out of Shinji. Okay, people, I'm not too sure what'll happen after this. I'm TRYING though, that's all you can ask, right? Oh yeah, the part with the Chess Dream is supposed to be funny... sorta. It relays a message, but in a kinda funny way.**

* * *

**

**Outtakes**

**-**

**Filial Piety**

"Shut up, old man!" Kaworu snapped back.

"Ya riddy f'r a whoopin', Bo-ay?" the teacher screamed as he lunged towards Kaworu.

The silver haired was certainly not ready for this vicious onslaught from the teacher. The boy stumbled backwards and took his guitar from his back.

With astonishing celerity, the teacher snatched the guitar from Kaworu and began to hammer it into the musician's head.

"Y'alls is suckers!" he cried through his heavily accented voice. "Y'all are easier to beat th'n a bunch of Yanks! Confederacy forever!"

Kaworu looked up with a grimace and said, "According to history, those 'Yanks', as you put it, kicked _your_ sorry ass."

The teacher's eyebrow twitched, "Hwhat wuzzat, Bo-ay? Ya bitchin's gonna land ya a date wit' mah fist!"

Shinji ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, "That's why you don't piss off Bubbah Brown…"

**Caught Brown Flippered**

The box was daunting. Asuka had no reason for why she felt this way, since she was usually elated to see her chocolate collection. As she slowly edged near it, she noticed smears on the lid.

"What the…? Who has been into my stash!" she cried as she glanced about, attempting to ascertain who would have taken her chocolate.

The girl stormed out of her room and almost tripped over a roadblock: Pen-Pen.

The penguin angrily squawked at her and finally stormed off, leaving tiny, brown footprints behind.

The irate redhead glanced down at the footprints, and then set off to find the culprit.

"GET YOUR ASS IN HERE, _THIRD CHILD_!" Asuka screamed at the top of her lungs.

Shinji immediately stumbled into the kitchen to greet the demonic girl. "Y-Yes? What is it, Asuka?"

Pen-Pen walked under Shinji's feet and sat down, with his normally black flippers gleaming brown in the light.

The volatile, German girl punched Shinji right in the face and started shouting, "I _know _it was _YOU!_ _God_! Of all the stupid things to do! Shinji, I can't believe you framed a freaking PENGUIN!"

Pen-Pen's eyes gleamed with malicious intent, and he callously laughed inwardly, 'Stupid bastards…'


	6. Tripping on You

**Foreword:** Alrighty, I'm going to updating less frequently, because I have to actually write the chapters from here on out.Ihad the others already done.

**A Special Thanks To: **Obviously, Draknal. He helped me with the outtakes and he's been helping me out with ideas for the story. He kicks complete ass.

**Disclaimer: **After writing this disclaimer, I'll feel incredibly poor. I don't own anything except my meager writing skills.

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**Tripping on You**

Fiery pain erupted from Shinji's jaw as he was pulled back into reality. He could feel a searing gaze fixed upon him. As his blurry eyes focused, the boy saw two sapphire orbs staring right back. "A-A-Asuka?" he asked. He was uncomfortably aware of the fact that her face was only inches from his own. "C-Can I get up?"

Her eyes only intensified their gaze. It was as if she was trying to suck Shinji into her eyes.

It was working.

No matter how hard Shinji tried to avert his eyes, he found himself staring back into Asuka's sparkling, blue irises.

After what seemed like a lengthy pause, Asuka's reply registered into Shinji's ears, "Of course you can, Dummkopf!"

Now Shinji was as confused as Rei on a date, and he asked slowly, "Huh…? Well… You're face is right near mine… If I just stood up, I-I would head-butt you…"

A rosy pink color crept up Asuka's face and settled on her cheeks, but Shinji was too absorbed with her eyes to notice. 'That… That idiot just… Why the hell didn't I think of that one! What the hell is going on around here…? And why does that idiot have to look so cute like that?'

The Third Child shifted uncomfortably in his bed and attempted to slide out without touching Asuka.

Finally, Asuka moved back to a normal standing position, and placed her hands on her hips. "You're always so slow. I waited three hours for you to get your lazy ass up!"

The young man cocked his head sideways a little, and asked, "How come you're in my room anyway, Asuka?"

The girl fumbled over her words and played with her long blazing hair nervously, "Er- well… It was all _Misato!_ She said that I had to watch over you until you woke up! Yeah, that's right. Why would I actually _want_ to watch over_ you_?" Though she said them, the last words of her thoughts didn't seem to drip the usual acid that they nearly always did.

"O-Oh…" Shinji said. His one desire was that Asuka could actually see him as a friend, if not even somebody to love.

That desire had been, not only, crushed by a girl wishing to appear strong, but also stomped on a few hundred times, and then spat on by said girl.

Asuka watched as Shinji's face drooped and his expression darkened. There was a hollow and numb feeling within the pit of her stomach. 'Mein Gott… Did I do that to Shinji?'

She dropped her hand do his arm and gripped the boy's wrist, "Well, are you just gonna sit there all day? Why don't you get up and do something?"

Shinji sighed, 'It would be much easier to just stop doing anything… to just sit here… It probably wouldn't matter to anyone… least of all, you…'

Asuka tugged gently at his arm, which was surprising. Usually when Asuka tugged on Shinji's arm, it was an attempt to rip it off. "Come on, Shinji. Let's get you out of bed." Asuka's voice rang out in the silent room. Within that voice, there was nervousness, and even Shinji could begin to feel it.

'I-Is she nervous…? No… It's probably my mind playing tricks on me…'

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji tapped at the drum set and reached over to his computer to type a few words in. He tapped the enter button, and continued to tap.

Minutes or hours later, Shinji couldn't really tell, the doorbell rang, and the boy could hear Asuka opening it.

"What do you want?" she asked in a flat voice. It was definitely not one of Asuka's friends.

A voice responded to the girl's question. It was a voice that Shinji knew to be Kaworu. "I'm here to see Shinji, of course."

The redhead slammed the door shut, and Shinji could hear Kaworu's footsteps coming to his room. They halted, and Shinji's door slid open, revealing a mess of shiny, silver hair.

Without bidding, Kaworu plunked down on the bed near Shinji. "You rang?" he asked jovially.

Shinji quit tapping the drum and set the sticks down. Without making eye contact, the boy spoke to Kaworu, "Hey… I don't think I'm improving at all… You should just find a new player…"

The silver haired boy sighed, "You don't give yourself enough credit… You just gotta relax while playing. You can't be uptight and stuff…" He paused then continued with a laugh, "Maybe even _Asuka_ will like it."

The blue-eyed boy sighed, "Maybe… But I don't think she even likes me than as a friend…"

Kaworu scratched the bridge of his nose and plugged in his guitar. Shrugging, he quickly made sure that his instrument was in perfect tune. "Man… Will you quit being so depressing? We're here to play some music, not to get down in the pits, you know?"

Hesitatingly, Shinji nodded his head, and picked up his drumsticks. He examined them carefully, and twisted his fingers in an attempt to twirl the sticks in a whirlwind. The Third Child pressed his fingers to his palms and allowed his hands to clamp down upon the sticks.

After a few short minutes of music, Kaworu looked over his shoulder and grinned, "You like that tune? It was pretty sweet, huh?" Slowly, his grin faded to an uncharacteristic frown. "The thing is, you have no clue what I felt while I was playing that song."

Shinji bit his lower lip and then spoke up, "I… Was I supposed to? I mean… I was a little busy playing the drums…"

Kaworu turned fully around and shouted, "Exactly! That's the exact answer I was looking for!" Calming himself down, he continued with his speaking, "The point I'm trying to get across to you is this: You can't feel what I feel while you're busy with something else!"

The introverted, young man's eyebrows turned up and he spoke apologetically, "I… I'm sorry. I _thought_ I was doing it right, but I guess I wasn't."

The guitarist sighed and shook his head. "You did fine. In fact, I think you're actually doing better than yesterday."

Shinji was, of course, confused, and his expression stated as much. "Then why did you…?"

Kaworu ran his fingers through his hair, and then shrugged off his guitar. "Look, I've got a job for you to do, okay?"

His defense mechanisms were kicking in, but something was holding them back. "I… um… A-Alright…" Shinji, for some unknown reason, felt comfortable with Kaworu, and so, he allowed his barriers to drop for this once.

The silver haired youth sat down adjacent to Shinji and stared him in the eyes. "I want you to focus on Asuka, okay? I know it sounds kinda weird, but you just have to trust me."

Setting down his drumsticks, the boy nodded, bit by painstaking bit. "A-Alright… I think I can try that… but, are you sure that this will do anything? I mean, what's the point?"

"I've got two rules for this _assignment_, if you will. Number one: Follow my orders. Number two: Don't ask any questions about my orders. Now that you have those two down, you should know what's up."

The duo both picked up their instruments and started up their raging music once again.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

There was a blanket of red spread across pale skinned shoulders. Two sparkling sapphires focused upon the bland paper resting lightly under an arm. A pencil quickly, yet carefully scratched against the nondescript paper, and an eloquent portrait decorated the center.

Shinji's dark eyes gazed back at the girl as she set about adding the correct shading to her drawing.

A single shaft of light illuminated the desk that she sat at, as she honed her artistic skill rather than doing her prescribed homework.

Asuka let out a heaving sigh, as she set the pencil down next to the piece of paper and stood up from her seat.

The redhead walked to her door and slid it open curtly. The couch groaned softly under the girl's weight, as it was pretty old. Kicking up her legs, the girl let her feet rest on the couch.

Sighing, Asuka began her assess her situation with Shinji, and how to change it to a favorable one.

'I have no clue what he thinks about me… How can I get him to even _notice _me? What's his problem… or… or am _I _the one with the problem…?'

The German girl scratched at her flat stomach and called out, "Hey Idiot! When's dinner gonna be ready?"

A light thud interrupted the din of music blasting from Shinji's room, and the Idiot's voice called out, "Um… When do you _want_ it to be ready?"

The girl rolled her eyes and spoke up, "Stop being so damn difficult and pick a time! I'll eat when you cook!"

A swoosh heralded the entrance of at least one person. Both Shinji and Kaworu appeared in the recently opened door.

The redhead raised an eyebrow and finally said, "Is your friend staying for dinner?"

Before Shinji could answer, Kaworu laughed, "Nah, I don't think I am. I got a bunch of crap to take care of at home."

Asuka could _swear_ that she saw the silver haired boy wink at Shinji, but wrote it off as a trick of the light.

With that said, the one with the guitar strode out the door after saying his goodbyes.

Shinji strode over to the refrigerator and set about preparing a meal for the Katsuragi Residence.

As hard as she tried to keep her eyes off of him, Asuka felt her eyes being pulled, as if by a magnetic force, towards him. Her sapphire eyes drank in the sight of him more greedily than a man deprived of water.

The girl finally tore her gaze from him by closing her eyes, but even then, visions of him stayed with her.

"Ow! Damn!" Shinji cried out.

Asuka's eyes snapped open and looked towards the source of noise: Shinji Ikari.

He stood there, with a knife in his right hand and blood dripping from his pointer finger of his left hand. Shinji quickly put the knife down on the cutting board and prepared to place his finger in his mouth.

"No, you idiot!" the German girl shouted as she hopped up from the couch and seized the boy's finger. "Never put your mouth over a cut! What do you think is the repository for most bacteria?"

Shinji fixed his trademark 'I have no clue what you just said' gaze on Asuka. "Huh?"

"Ugh! Idiot! Here, let me!" she cried as she seized hold of his hand and brought it closer to her face. After appraising his wound, she said, "Well… You're lucky that it wasn't too deep of a cut."

Shinji tried to pull away from her, but the fiery German held on tightly to his wrist. "You're not helping with this squirming, Shinji!" she cried out as she wiped away the blood from his finger.

Asuka opened a cabinet and plucked a Band-Aid from a nondescript box, applied a thin sheen of rubbing alcohol to the pad, and then gingerly wrapped the boy's finger. "There, _that_ ought to do it," she said with her superior tone of voice permeating the room.

Shinji could see something different in Asuka.

He wasn't quite sure what it was, but he knew that there was a change. It could have just been that Shinji was focusing all of his attention on the girl instead of hiding from her.

Asuka kept her hands on Shinji's, but once she realized what she was doing, she turned scarlet and dropped them. The girl walked over to the couch and plunked down on the fluffy cushions. "Uh… so when's dinner?"

Shinji turned around and took a hard look at the girl, but didn't like what images his mind placed before his eyes. He knew that Asuka would never actually see him as a friend. "I… well… it will be ready in a few minutes…"

The redhead sighed and closed her eyes, "It smells good at least."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji kept glancing at his finger and wondering why he felt anything other than pain. "I cut my finger with a _knife_, shouldn't it be hurting? I know Asuka patched it up, but… What am I feeling? Just why doesn't this hurt?" he murmured.

"Because _I _fixed it up!" Asuka was leaning against the counter and staring at Shinji.

The boy turned around, and she raised her eyebrows with a smirk plastered to her face. "What? Should I kiss it and make it better, or something? Do you wanna test your luck, Shinji?" Deep inside of her heart, she _wanted _Shinji to join this game of Russian roulette.

Shinji quickly shook his head, "N-No… I was just kinda confused."

The redhead grinned impishly stepped a little bit closer to him, making sure to use a sultry and tempting voice. "You don't sound too sure of yourself. Are you _positive _you don't want me to kiss you?" Asuka winked at him, and was faced with a blushing Shinji.

The brown-haired boy felt a strange sensation creep up his spine, and he grinned as well. "Will I get hit if I say yes?" Shinji had remembered what his dreams had told him. He had to grow a spine if he had a chance with Asuka.

'Did Shinji _seriously _just say that?' The pilot of Unit 02 shrugged and replied as best she could, "Depends on whether or not you do a good job this time."

Before he could reply, Asuka pushed herself into his arms, and kissed him. Unaccounted time passed before Asuka backed away. She shrugged, "Well… it was _decent._ Obviously much better than our _first _one," her voice trailed off, "if that can even be _called _a kiss…"

"I'm sor-" Shinji stopped and rolled his eyes, "Wait, why am _I_ apologizing? It was _your _fault."

Asuka folded her arms under her breasts and shot back indignantly, "Well, if _you _hadn't kept your lips together for so long, it would've been better!"

The pilot of Unit 01 shrugged, "I told you, that was my _first _kiss. I didn't know that people were supposed to have their tongues in-"

"Come on, Shinji. That was _my _first kiss too, and _I _knew about it. Why didn't _you?_" the girl countered. 'What brought on the change of attitude? It's not that bad, but I like the other Shinji better. Oh well, I guess I can deal with _this _Shinji until I get my _adorable_, little idiot back. Wait… What did I just think?'

Adopting a manner quite similar to a college professor, Shinji began speaking, "But you have to take some facts into account, dear friend."

She looked back skeptically, and raised an eyebrow, "Such as? You're a boy! Guys _know _these sorts of things."

He patted her on the shoulder and sadly said, "Asuka, you're an outgoing person. You've probably seen a bunch of movies with stuff like this, and most likely have seen people kissing. I, on the other hand, much preferred the company of music to people. Can you seriously expect me to know some of these things?"

Asuka's fist twitched unnoticeably, and she softly said, "So you'd rather listen to music than hang out with me?"

Shaking his head, Shinji replied, "I said '_preferred_' not '_prefer_'. I like hanging out with you more than you could imagine, Asuka. After not having _many_ friends, it's a good feeling to finally have a _best _friend."

"Well, _obviously_ it helps that somebody as perfect as me is your best friend." Asuka smiled proudly, delight radiating from her body. 'I've been helping him, this whole time!'

Shinji nodded and spoke up, "Well it _is _kind of hard to keep to yourself with a person like you around…"

She grabbed him by the arm and cried out, "Just what does that mean! Are you implying that I'm a loud and nosy person!"

Shinji stumbled over his words, fumbling for an explanation of what he meant, "N-No, it's just… You're really bringing me out of my shell, that's what I meant. I didn't mean to offend you… I'm sorry."

Asuka blushed and muttered, "Oh…" She let go of the boy and allowed her arms to dangle at her sides, "Well… be _clearer_ next time!"

Shinji patted her on the shoulder and replied, "It won't happen again." The boy set about cleaning up the dirty dishes from their dinner, and busied himself in the kitchen with many other chores.

Asuka hopped over the couch and stretched her legs out, "If you need me, I'm watching TV, 'mkay, Shinji?"

"Sure, but… um… would you mind bringing me those papers on the coffee table?" Shinji continued to clean the plates and eyed Asuka, waiting for her to move.

Asuka looked over at him with a playful grin, "What are they? Letters from your secret lovers?" 'He _better _not have any! I'll kick his ass if he does!'

The boy chuckled, "Yeah right, Asuka. The only girl that even talks to me on a regular basis is _you_. It's just a few personal things…"

Asuka immediately pounced on them and held them to her chest, "Oooh! What could it _possibly _be?"

Shinji shrugged, "I don't really care, Asuka. It's not like you wouldn't find out about anything in there _sooner _or later. You probably already know about what's in there." He continued to clean and spoke again, "Once you're finished, could you just set them on the kitchen table for me?"

Asuka scowled and placed them on the table, "It's no fun when you don't care, Shinji. Don't worry, I won't read anything."

The dripping beads of water were whisked off of Shinji's hands as the cloth towel rubbed its way across the surface of his skin. "That… It really means a lot to me, Asuka." He placed his hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed it, "Honestly. Thank you."

"You said it yourself, Shinji. I am your _best friend_." Asuka felt herself wanting to hug Shinji… She wanted it with every fiber of her being. Her figure slowly leaned towards him, ever so slightly trembling in anticipation.

The redhead's warm breath splashed against Shinji's chest as he felt her very slowly, but steadily getting closer to him. 'Wh-What's she doing?'

Asuka was burning with a fever. It was burning so hot that she could do nothing but succumb to its will, and try to get closer to Shinji.

'She's so close I can smell her body wash… She- Ah! What am I thinking! Asuka is just a friend! That's all she wants… r-right?' Shinji felt his body being pulled, as if by some magnetic force towards the girl with fiery hair.

The door flung open as the purple haired guardian of the two children bounded into the room, "Hiya, kids! Whoa… did I interrupt something? Heheh, is there something you two are _hiding _from me? So, Asuka, how is his-"

"SHUT UP!" the redhead screamed. 'GOD DAMN IT! I was so close, Misato! SO CLOSE! Couldn't it have waited for TEN MINUTES! I just wanted… I just wanted to hug him…' Asuka stormed into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Shinji blinked a few times as he realized that Asuka was no longer close to him. "Misato," he whispered.

The vivacious woman looked over and whispered back, "Yeah?"

"I… I think she's kinda mad right now. Maybe we should lay off, eh?" Shinji rubbed his temples. 'I can't stand it when she's pissed like this…'

Misato grinned and poked his shoulder, "Why don't you go check on her? Heheh, you might get more than you bargained for, if you know what I mean, heheh."

"Misato, not right now please… I'm not in the mood." Shinji rolled his eyes and shook his head as he began walking to his own room.

Again Misato's lips split into a savage grin as she ruthlessly teased the young man, "Ya know, Shinji, they have pills to fix that. Ever hear of Viagr-"

"M-Misato! Stop! I'm being serious!" Shinji looked at the woman with pleading eyes, "Not right now… I just want to get some sleep…"

The evil smirk toned down to a faint smile as she tossed a bottle to him, "You'll need these… I had your prescription refilled."

Fumbling the bottle, it dropped to the floor, through Shinji's hands. He knelt down and picked up the bottle, examining the label. "Are these my sleeping pills?"

"Yep, but remember Shinji, only take one. If you take any more, we'll have to…" Misato's face carried a mischievous look and she continued, "cut open your stomach with a rusty, old scalpel, and then dig around with dirty hands until we can get the pills out!"

"Oh well… If I take two or more, I'll just say that I was trying to escape from your drunkenness or something. That way, if all that stuff happens to me, it would be _you _that they busted." Shinji shrugged and opened his door with a grin.

"Why you little…" Misato bust out into laughter, "Who taught you to threaten people so well?"

The chestnut haired boy simply waved to her and entered his room. "Night, Misato."

Retrieving a beer from the refrigerator, Misato spoke to him through his door, "I can bet money that you're not going to bed yet. You're going to stay up and read. Heheh, I saw the book by your lamp… Heheh, 101 Ways to Please Your Soulmate, huh? I didn't think you and Asuka were _that _far, heheh."

The boy's head poked out of his room, with a book dangling in his hand, along with a blank expression across his face. "Misato… It's called Calvin and Hobbes. I think you're losing your edge." He grinned once more and said, "Goodnight, Misato."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Asuka ran her fingers through her hair and looked over at the clock. 'Ugh… It's already 11 o'clock? I can't believe I'm not asleep yet. I usually get to sleep easily!' The girl threw off her blankets and sat up on her bed. "Wonder if the Idiot's asleep yet…" she whispered, as she took a drink from the glass of water on her dresser.

Making sure she was appropriately dressed, Asuka slid open her door and plodded into the hallway, completely ignoring the looks that Misato was giving her.

"And just where might you be going, my fiery-haired, little girl?" Misato asked as she clung onto her beer can.

Asuka whirled around and stomped her foot, "I'm _not _a little girl! If you _must _know, I was going to go talk with Shinji."

"Talk about _what _exactly?" Misato said with a sly grin on her face.

"I don't freaking know! Just something! I wanted to talk to somebody until I was tired enough to sleep!" Asuka stepped down the hall, and lightly knocked on Shinji's door before simply opening it, and walking through the doorway.

Shinji was on his hands and knees with numerous pills in his left hand, and a glass of water in his other one.

Asuka dove into his arms, pinning the young man to the ground, "Don't do it, Shinji! Suicide isn't gonna solve anything, you dummkopf!" She hit him in the chest with part of her fist, and shouted, "What the hell are you thinking!"

"U-Um, Asuka… I wasn't going to commit suicide… I dropped my prescription bottle… I just finished picking up the pills." Shinji dumped all but one of the pills into the small, translucent, orange bottle. "I… I have to take a sleeping pill each night. Guess I was just clumsy and dropped the bottle."

Asuka's mind blanked as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. 'Oh my God, Asuka… You just tackled him… and he was trying to _clean_. At least the idiot is warm… AH! Asuka, you quit thinking these things right now!'

"A-Asuka? Can you let me, um… maybe get up?" Shinji looked up at Asuka, staring straight into her blue eyes. "You're sorta… on top of me."

"I, uh… er…" Asuka quickly recovered from her daze and came back with a fiery reply, "You probably _planned _this, didn't you? You wanted to take advantage of how much I care about you!"

"It's okay, Asuka. I don't blame you… I probably would have done the same thing if I saw what you did. I guess I kinda did look like I was gonna do something with all those pills, didn't I?" Shinji smiled warmly and gently hugged her, "Thank you for caring about me though, Asuka."

Asuka wanted nothing more than to keep within his embrace, but, alas, she also knew that all good things come to an end.

Shinji let go reluctantly, wishing that he could only continue to embrace her, but he knew that if he didn't let go his body would be at risk.

Asuka picked herself and Shinji up, and then sat down on his bed. "I couldn't sleep, so I wanted to come in and talk to somebody I guess… You don't mind, _do you?_"

Shinji sat down on his bed as well, but made sure that he was a good distance away from Asuka, lest she hit him for trying to 'make a move' on her. "O-Of course not. You're always welcome in here… 'cept when I'm changing and stuff…"

"Oh, you pervert! You'd probably like it if I walked in on you, wouldn't you?" Asuka grinned at him, "Who knows what you have in that little head of yours. You and your little fantasies of me…"

"Asuka," he replied, chuckling, "If anybody has to worry about fantasies, it's _you_. Come on, I'm sheltered, unlike yourself. Besides… it's always _you_ who thinks up all these interesting little things that you think I do."

The girl immediately blushed and thought, 'You have _no _idea, Shinji… But then again, who needs to? Heheh… My fantasies are all my own.' "So what if I _do _have fantasies, hmm, Shinji?"

He cocked an eyebrow and _extremely _slowly stepped away from the redhead. "Uh… I'd be kinda freaked out. As long as you don't _tell _them to me, I think I'll be alright though."

"But Shinji," she said, grinning broadly. Asuka leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Don't you want to know what I think about?"

Shinji's body went rigid as she continued to lean closer and closer to him. "A-Asuka! Didn't I just…?"

Asuka pushed closer to him and whispered more seductively, "Oh come on, Shinji. You _know _you want to…"

By now, Shinji was obviously blood red, and he was babbling, in a sad attempt to come up with something to say.

"You know I'm just kidding, Shinji. You don't have to get so embarrassed, you know." Asuka sat back to her normal position, and shook her head with a chuckle.

"Y-You know I can't help it, Asuka! Especially when you do that whisper thing." Shinji massaged his temples, and scratched at his scalp.

Asuka patted him on the back and said, "Oh, I was just kidding… Heheh, I knew I was irresistible, but I guess it's worse on _you_,isn't it?"

"Well, I guess it is…" Shinji popped a pill into his mouth, and washed it down with a gulp of water. "Don't worry, Asuka. It takes a little while for this thing to kick in, so I can still keep you company 'til then."

Asuka leaned back against the wall and looked over at Shinji's drum set. "So, Shinji, how're you getting along with those drums?"

"I guess I'm doing fine," he replied, "That's what Kaworu says anyway…"

Asuka snapped her fingers, as something dawned on her, "Oh, that silver-headed kid? He looks kinda funny. Sorta looks like Rei, if you think about it."

"Yeah… sorta… They both have red eyes, I guess." Shinji crossed his legs, sitting like an Indian on his bed. "So… Um… Asuka, you might want to, uh… your shirt. It's uh… falling off your shoulder…" Shinji reached over, and slid it back up her shoulder.

The girl frowned and slid it back down, "What if I liked it down there? Hmmm?"

Eyes showing fright, Shinji retracted his hand and instantly apologized, "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just…"

"Aw, what's wrong, Shinji?" She smiled over at him, and brushed some of her hair away from her face. "You don't like it when you can see my body?"

"Asuka, are we gonna do this again? I just… I didn't think you'd want to have your shirt slip down like that…"

The redhead shrugged, "I guess… I just" 'LOVE YOU! … I wish I could say it to him…' "trust you, a lot…"

"That's good to hear, Asuka. Thank you. I guess… It gets kinda hard sometimes… having to sort out some of my emotions. It's always good to be told what you are to somebody." Like Asuka, Shinji sat back further on his bed, allowing the wall to support his weight. His head bobbed unnoticeably, and his body seemed to sag against the wall.

"Shinji… That's… That's not all I wanted to say…" She took a deep breath, and let it out, "I… I've been feeling differently about you. I think… I think I love you, Shinji." She felt a weight thump onto her shoulder, pressing against her. She looked over, only to see Shinji's head, resting gently on her shoulder.

The German redhead growled at nobody in general, "Why now? Why couldn't it wait for ten minutes!" Her glare softened, and she ran her fingers through Shinji's hair, "Well… I don't blame you… _this _time. You couldn't help it… right?"

Asuka pretended to make an effort to move, but smiled while she sighed, "Damn, it looks like I can't move. I guess I have to stay here."

She pulled a blanket over the two of them, and wrapped her arms around the boy. "Maybe _this'll _tell him how I feel about him."

Asuka closed her own eyes, while holding Shinji tightly against her own body. Sleep soon overcame her, as she sat in the embrace of the person that she loved most.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Thank you, Draknal. You helped me to get these outtakes done, and I thank you a lot. Again, thanks for helping me with the decision for this chapter. Okay, folks, I guess I'll try to update by... uh... wheneverI get it done. Sorry guys.**

* * *

**

Outtakes

**-**

**Temperamental**

"Shinji… That's… That's not all I wanted to say…" She took a deep breath, and let it out, "I… I've been feeling differently about you. I think… I think I love you, Shinji."

Shinji waited for a moment, expecting her to continue. After she remained still, he grinned and said, "Oh… That's it? Gee, here I was, thinking it was something important. Heh, silly me."

A burning rage overcame Asuka, despite her keeping deathly silent. The girl stood up and grabbed the boy by his collar and raised her fist.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

The calm elevator music filtered through the night, while the small speaker continued to pump it out. It was a calm night, as though nothing could possibly go wrong.

A loud crackle sounded, as though somebody had been thrown completely through a brick wall, and the noise was followed by a dull thud, almost like the kind a human body would leave if thrown from ten stories up.

The elevator music continued its playing, despite the minor disturbance of the night.

**Pill Popping**

Shinji trudged out of his room, wiping the tiredness from his eyes. His foot brushed against something soft and feathery. "Mornin' Pen-Pen…" he mumbled as he continued his trek to the bathroom.

The crazed bird clicked open his switchblade and dove at Shinji. With a quick slash, he sliced straight through the boy's Achilles tendon, felling him as though he were a tree.

Shinji fell in a bloody shower as he slammed hard against the wooden floor of the apartment.

A small pop was heard behind him, as a small, orange bottle was opened. The feathery madbird waddled up to Shinji's face and dumped the myriad of sleeping pills into his mouth, and then forced him to swallow them. 'Muahahah, two humans with one stone! Misato goes to jail and Shinji dies… now Asuka's the only one left!'


	7. Tying Yourself to Me

**Foreword: **SORRY I WAS LATE! I didn't upload when I said I would... Sorry guys. I got really tied up in a bunch of stuff. Well, here is Chapter VI. The next one is on its way.

**A Special Thanks To: **Obviously, Draknal. If you ever see him, pat him on the back. He even gets his own underline.

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**Tying Yourself to Me...**

'Why does my neck hurt? Ugh… maybe I slept on it wrong.' Shinji kept his eyes closed and tried to re-adjust his position. Finally, his head slipped completely off of its bony perch, and instead rested peacefully in a soft nest.

The motions from Shinji woke the redhead he was pressed against, and she looked down, only to find that Shinji was serenely sleeping with his head in her lap. The girl sighed as she thought, 'It figures that you've gotten farther with me while you're asleep than when you're awake.' Still smiling, Asuka gently began to run her fingers through his hair.

Still the young man remained asleep, quietly snoring as he did.

Misato slid open the door to Shinji's room, and she, in her usual boisterous manner, asked, "Hey, Shinji! Have you seen Asuka around he-"

The sight that greeted her was definitely one of the last things she expected to see. "Oh my God, Asuka! If you're going to have Shinji do _that _sort of thing, at _least _lock the door!"

"Wha…?" What Misato was trying to say finally donned on the girl, and she blushed a bright red. It would seem a little like what Misato thought, seeing as how Shinji's head was resting in her lap.

"_Misato! _He's not doing _that! _Shinji's still asleep!" Asuka slammed a finger up to her lips, signifying that the older woman should tone down her voice.

"Oh… heheh, sorry. My mistake, I guess." Misato crept forward, and looked at Shinji's sleeping form. "Ooh, it looks like you must have worn him out somehow, Asuka." The woman winked and chuckled maniacally.

The redhead glowered at Major Katsuragi, and growled, "Misato, get your mind out of the gutter! We didn't do anything that _you _would."

"Oh… Well, it's your loss!" Misato's grin only widened as she saw Asuka getting even more irate.

Still stroking his head, Asuka frowned at the older woman. "Misato. Out. Not right now. Just let me enjoy this moment… He'll probably chicken out when he wakes up, so I want to enjoy this moment for a little longer…"

"Well, since this is a girl to girl conversation, I guess I'll impart some wisdom on you."

Misato put her hand on Asuka's shoulder and said, "Why don't you try not hitting him?"

Asuka looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"You guys think I don't know, but every time Shinji's getting close to you, and freezes up, you hit him. Why don't you let him _know _that it's alright to get closer." Misato stood up and went to the door. The woman turned around as she was leaving and said, "Oh yeah! I want all the details from yesterday _and _today! Heheh, details, details, details!"

"_Fine_, alright!" Asuka returned to Shinji's sleeping form and watched his movements carefully.

The door closed, and Asuka heard a thump, followed by a statement that sounded suspiciously like, "Damn bird! Why did you go and trip me!"

Amid all of the ruckus outside of his room, Shinji's eyes slowly slid open, and he felt something soft going through his hair. He knew that he was not resting on his own pillow. His pillow was flat, and most of all it didn't smell like Asuka. He rolled over in order to look up at the ceiling, and was only greeted by fiery red hair, and a pair of ice blue eyes. Shinji was caught like a deer in the headlights, and completely froze up.

"Are you finally awake, Shinji?" Asuka showed no signs of stopping what she was doing, and her fingers still snaked their way through his hair.

"U-Um… Good morning, Asuka…" The boy was in his idea of heaven. He had all he wanted or even needed with him. Shinji knew that something was wrong… Nothing had ever been like this in his life. It seemed too much like a dream.

"Well… if you wouldn't mind giving up your pillow, I think I need to go take my shower." Asuka slid out from under Shinji's head, and left his room, but not before flashing him a wink.

Shinji, about as confused as Misato with non-alcoholic beer, thought, 'Did she just wink at me? Man, something must be wrong… Asuka doesn't _wink_.'

The boy rolled over and covered his eyes. Letting out a heaving sigh, he mumbled, "Maybe things'll be back to normal when I wake up…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Asuka, still damp from her shower, stepped into the kitchen, looking for some trace of the Third Child. 'Hm, that's strange. He's usually up by now.' "Hey Misato, have you seen Shinji anywhere?"

"Oh, I think your cuddly, little, teddy bear went back to sleep after you went to take your shower." Misato giggled at her little joke, and turned back to the television screen, while she sipped at her morning beer.

"Funny one, Misato," Asuka said through gritted teeth, her voice dripping with a deadly mixture of sarcasm and venom. The girl simply moved over to the refrigerator and removed a can.

An eerie crack resounded in the quiet room, seeming to drown out even the television's low mumbling. Misato shifted uncomfortably in her chair and continued to look at the TV. "You shouldn't be having pop with breakfast, Asuka."

"Who said anything about pop?" The sound of liquid splashing into the cool, metallic sink reverberated all throughout the apartment.

The realization hit Misato like a brick thrown by a gorilla off of a twenty-story building. "My… beer… ASUKA! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

"I'm just doing a little cleaning." The grin on Asuka's face widened, as she continued pouring the beer down the sink.

Misato instantly jumped up and hopped over the table, "MY BEER!" Growling, the older woman reached for Asuka, but the girl had already run down the hallway.

Slipping into Shinji's room, Asuka gently shook him awake, "Help me, Shinji! Help me! Misato's after me!"

Shinji, thoroughly startled and confused, looked at Asuka and asked, "Wh-What? What's going on around here? Asuka, what are you talking about?"

The redhead bit her lower lip and said, "Well… She kinda made a comment I didn't like, so I kinda…"

"_Please _don't tell me you hit her, Asuka," The young Ikari said, with concern laced into his azure irises.

Asuka shook her head and glanced at the door, "No, I didn't hit her. I just poured out one of her beers."

"Um… Asuka, that's probably twice as bad as hitting her." Shinji tried to shift his position, because Asuka's hands were pressing down on his diaphragm, making it hard to breathe. "A-Asuka? Could you…" He simply pointed to her hands.

Asuka immediately let her hands up, and stood on her own weight, instead of leaning on him. "Oh! Sorry there, Shinji."

Those simple words hit Shinji like an enraged man hyped up on PCP. "Did you just say 'sorry' to me?"

"Uh… _yeah_. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing… Nothing at all. Just kinda strange, because you don't apologize that much." Shinji scratched his head, and swung his feet out of bed, so he rested in a sitting position. He let out a massive yawn and rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes.

Shrugging, Asuka grinned at him. "Well, Shinji, I guess there's a first for everything, isn't there?"

The door to Shinji's room was kicked open and a purple-haired woman stomped into the room. "THERE YOU ARE! ASUKA, IT'S TIME FOR YOUR PUNISHMENT!" The woman tossed a piece of cloth onto the girl, and crossed her arms.

Asuka unfolded the cloth and gazed on the apron with an unparalleled fury. "_BEER WENCH!_" she screamed, rage permeating all the way down to the very core of each syllable she spat out. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! THAT'S SO WRONG!"

Shinji yawned once more, and blinked a few times, before traversing the area between the girls, which was most definitely full of a staggering amount of bickering.

Twirling his drumsticks, Shinji stretched out his arms, and yawned one final time. Bringing both arms down in a furious drum-roll, Shinji quickly garnered the attention of the two arguing females, allowing silence to reign for a short moment. "Now that I have your attention… Can we be a little bit quieter?"

The two girls nodded in unison, both equally stunned that the quiet and withdrawn Shinji that they had known would _ever _do something like what he had just done.

"Um… Why are you both looking at me like that?" Shinji set down his drumsticks and sat down on his bed once more.

Asuka immediately blushed and masked her dumbfounded look, while Misato turned back to Asuka with the hopes of avenging the loss of one brave alcoholic drink.

Shinji grabbed the apron from Asuka, and said, "This is just… It's not right to make somebody wear something like this, Misato… Besides, it's only one beer, right?"

Misato growled at them, "You say one beer, and I say it's one beer that I _could have _drank! Now it's gone forever!"

Sighing, Shinji rubbed his temples, "If it means that much to you, I'll _buy _you a _new_ one. Besides, the way Asuka told it, _you _started it all with some comment."

"Well… heheh, yeah, I guess I did. Heheh, oops, sorry for making a bunch of noise!" Misato was a strange person. She could go from being in a furor to being the most happy-go-lucky person in the world in a matter of seconds. The woman quickly turned around and cried, "Crap! I'm gonna be late for work! Ah, oh well. I'll get Ritsuko to cover for me or something… Thank God the Commander doesn't get to work 'til ten!"

After Misato had left the room, Shinji tossed the apron into the trashcan. "Looks like there's no need for something like _that_."

Asuka dove on Shinji, pinning him to the bed with a hug. "Thanks a bunch, Shinji. You saved me from having to be called _Beer Wench_… Seriously… Thank you."

Alarmed by his sudden closeness, Shinji could only manage to stutter out a simple, "Uh… Y-yeah, no problem."

Asuka sat back and examined Shinji, noting each and every move that he made. "You know Shinji… You're acting kinda funny. Is there anything wrong?"

"With me? No… I was kind of wondering about you though… You haven't hit me yet today, and usually you'd have beaten me down by now. It's just… You're being so nice today." Shinji felt like it wasn't a very nice thing to say, despite the fact that it was, in most respects, a compliment.

"I dunno… I just felt like being nicer to you today, I guess… Especially after you took the time yesterday to talk with me, while I couldn't sleep." Asuka ran her fingers through her hair and spoke up once again, "And… Well, you deserve to be treated better… You're always nice to me, so I figure I can return the favor, ya know?"

Shinji slapped himself in the forehead and sighed, "Oh damn it… My God, I'm so sorry, Asuka!"

Asuka raised an eyebrow and examined the look of self-disappointment in his eyes. "Huh? Why's that?" she asked, as she put an arm across his shoulders.

"I fell asleep on you yesterday! Ugh, I feel so badly for it… You were counting on me to stay up, but I didn't." The boy turned to Asuka and pleaded for forgiveness, "I'm so sorry… and I actually fell asleep_ on top _of you… Please, forgive me, Asuka."

"Oh, you idiot… I don't mind… The thing is… I actually love…" Asuka could feel Shinji's blue eyes, staring straight at her. Something within her stopped the girl from finishing her sentence the exact way she wanted it. Flushing a bright red color, Asuka instead opted to say, "I love spending time with you, Shinji."

The boy looked over at Asuka and seemed to lean in a little bit. 'Oh… I just want to hug her right now…' "Oh… Well… I feel the same way about you, Asuka." There was something within him that made him want to hug the girl even more at that very moment.

Asuka put her arms around herself, and smiled lightly, "Thanks a lot, Shinji…"

The young man silently made up his mind, although he had no idea what had given him the push to do it. Slowly, he slid his arms around the girl, and held her in an embrace.

As he realized what he was doing, Shinji tried to pull away a little.

The redhead held on to him tightly, as though her life and entire existence depended upon it. After a few moments, Asuka shifted, and kissed him on the cheek. Reluctantly, the two parted, and sat next to the other.

Shinji was thoroughly confused, because for one, he didn't know where _he _got the backbone to hug her, and two, he had no idea why Asuka did what she did.

The German girl smiled at Shinji coyly and said, "I'm sorry… I just wanted to thank you… for being a good friend to me." 'It's so funny… Why do I feel all shy around him after something like that? I know I like him… but seriously, Asuka. Why can't you just flat out _tell _him?'

Shinji, still a little shell-shocked, finally remembered where he was and what he was doing. A glint of silver caught his attention from the corner of his eye. The azure-eyed boy quickly hopped up from his seat on his bed and retrieved the source of the glimmer. "Um… Asuka?"

Twiddling with her fiery locks of hair, the girl looked over at him with curiosity clearly showing in her eyes. "What?"

"I… uh… Well, since I ate that candy bar that you had, I kinda figured that I should make up for it, so…" Shinji held out a bar of chocolate, wrapped in a shimmering silver wrapper and waited for her to take it.

The redhead took the bar from him and looked at it. "Shinji… You didn't have to go out of the way for something like this. I'm the one that overreacted."

He sat down next to her and shrugged, "Well, I felt like I should make it up to you. I'm lucky I stumbled on this in the sweets shop. I _think _it's the same kind as the one I accidentally ate."

She smiled at him and nodded, "Yeah, it's the same… Thanks, one more time." Asuka kissed him on the cheek once more, and left his room.

"You know… maybe she _does_ like me…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji knocked even harder on the door to Kaworu's apartment. Sighing, Shinji began to talk to the door, "Where is he?" The young pilot pulled out his cell phone and called his absent, guitarist friend. "Kaworu? Where _are _you? I've been at your door for five minutes."

"Right behind you," Kaworu replied as he waved to the young Ikari from across a guardrail, on the complete other side of the street. Obviously, Shinji had some trouble seeing him, because of the fact that Shinji was ten stories up, whereas Kaworu was at ground level. "Yeah, sorry I was late. I had to take out the trash. It was startin' to reek pretty badly." Kaworu dodged a car, and gave it the finger as he J-walked his way through traffic.

"Yeah, I kinda got held up too. I saw that Ayanami chick across the street, so I figured I'd go on over and say hey."

The silver haired youth took the phone away from his ear and shouted at a man that he bumped into, "Watch it, asshole!"

"God… people these days… Anyway, I stopped over to talk, well… _attempt _to talk to her," Kaworu returned the phone to his ear, and began bounding up the steps getting closer and closer to his apartment. "Talk about frigid… She didn't even mutter a 'Hello, sexy man. Want to go out for lunch or something?' … You do know that was a joke, right? But seriously, she didn't even say 'Hi'. All I got was a comment like," Kaworu completely altered his voice, so that it sounded almost exactly the same as Rei's, "I do not have time to remain here and casually communicate with you."

Kaworu turned off his phone, and shook Shinji's hand. "Well, I'm here. Let's get to it, eh?" He unlocked his door, and kicked it open, although Shinji had absolutely no idea _why _he did it. Kaworu continued his bantering about Rei, "I don't understand it at all. A babe like that doesn't even give somebody like me the time of day. What's up with that? She could have almost any guy on a _leash_ if she wanted to."

Shinji shrugged and sighed, "I don't know… Rei's a good friend of mine, and even then she barely talks to me."

Kaworu walked into his apartment, throwing his shoes at the pristine walls, grinning as he saw the scuffmarks. "So how're you doing with that one girl… uh… What's her name? You know… red hair, blue eyes…"

"You mean Asuka?" Shinji asked. "You don't remember names easily, do you?"

"Yeah, yeah, names are a bit of trouble for me." Kaworu set up his guitar system, plugging all sorts of wires into thousands of different holes.

Shinji sighed and scratched his head. "Well… I've been doing what you told me to do with Asuka…"

The silver haired boy immediately looked up from his wiring and glee seemed to shine in his eyes, "And?"

"Well… I think that… She might like me as more than _just _a friend." Shinji sat down at the stool behind his drums and fiddled with his drumsticks.

"See! I _told _you! You're a lucky man, Shinji. Asuka is hot, and she could have anybody she wanted, but she chose _you_. You are somethin' real special to her."

Shinji's expression darkened and he looked over at the guitarist, "Hot? You say that like she's just an object…"

He waved dismissively at Shinji and continued to work on his setting up. "No, man. Hm… Well, just think of it this way. Hot in my vocabulary would translate into somethin' old school, like beautiful or somethin' like that. Better?"

"That's a lot better… I guess I'm just not used to hearing people talk like that around me…" Shinji flexed his fingers and cracked his knuckles.

"Yeah, you're a pretty old school guy. I like that about you. You kinda stick out like a suit in the ghetto compared to a bunch of us nowadays." Kaworu finished up messing with his amps, and began scavenging around for a pick for his guitar.

"Oh, come on, Kaworu. I'm not _that _different, am I?"

"Hell yeah, you're _way_ different. A regular guy wouldn't even bat an eyelash if I said some girl was hot, but you're always thinkin' about how they are on the inside, and treatin' them with respect. That's the sort of thing that's got so many girls at school _droolin'_ over you, ya know?" The red-eyed boy snatched a pick from between the pages of a magazine, and gave his guitar a practice strum.

Shinji nodded slowly and watched Kaworu for a little bit. "Well… I never really thought about it that way… wait! What do you mean 'drooling over me'?"

"Come on, man. You're famous _and _you're a great dude. Some girls like you for your fame, some for your respectful attitude. You can't honestly think that nobody liked you, can ya?" Kaworu pointed at a leather strap near Shinji.

Throwing the strap to him, Shinji replied, "Well… I've never really noticed it, I guess. What about you though?"

He attached the strap to his guitar, so that it hung off of his body. Flashing Shinji a roguish grin, Kaworu said, "The ones I didn't charm at first sight with my masculine charisma, I'll get soon enough. Besides, I've only been at our school for like… two or three days. Given a few weeks, I'll have all the girls, _except_ for Asuka of course, all over me… Well, maybe not that Ayanami chick, but hey, a man's gotta love a challenge, eh?"

Shinji simply chuckled at the guitarist's massive ego.

Kaworu, finally satisfied with his guitar, looked over to Shinji and said, "Well, that's enough with this talkin' about girls, eh? Let's just rock out, alright? Heh, try not to get distracted with your little fantasies about Asuka."

Shinji rolled his eyes and grinned, "Who needs fantasies when I've already kissed her?"

His laughing shook the shaggy silver hair on top of his head and Kaworu replied, "Well, I know plenty of things better than kissing, but hey, I wouldn't want to taint your pure, little memories, now would I?"

The Third Child threw a magazine at the guitarist and muttered, "Oh, shut up. I'm happy with the way things are going between me and Asuka."

"Yeah, I figured you'd say something like that." Kaworu began releasing riff after riff of heavy metal thunder, effectively silencing all chatter.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Come on, Asuka. When are you going to tell him?" Hikari sat on the German's bed, keeping herself amused with Pen-Pen. The penguin, obviously, didn't mind being treated to a free massage.

Asuka bit her lip and thought for a moment. "I… I don't know… I almost did today, but I just got really embarrassed, and I couldn't finish…"

"It's normal to get like that. You just need to go through with it, even if you feel like that." Hikari looked over at Asuka and decided to try and change the subject, "So what did you do yesterday?"

"Ugh, a bunch of stuff happened yesterday," the girl said, as she twiddled with a pencil. "Well… I tackled Shinji, because I thought he was trying to commit suicide…"

"Suicide? What happened?" Hikari's curiosity got the better of her, and that curiosity mixed in with her concern for the young Ikari.

"Well… I didn't know it, but he's a Chronic Insomniac, so he has to take sleeping pills. He dropped his bottle, and dropped every one of the pills. I happened to walk in on him while he had them all in his hand and a glass of water in the other… I kinda freaked, and thought he was going to swallow them all or something."

"Oh my God, Asuka! I would be so embarrassed after something like that…" Hikari set the penguin down, and he scampered out of the room, returning to his fridge.

"You have no idea… Well, after that, I think I teased him a little bit… What? I couldn't resist! He just looks so cute when he's confused." Asuka took another breath and chuckled, "Get this. I slept with him."

"…" Asuka's pigtailed friend frowned deeply and finally said, "I pray that 'slept' is used in its _literal _form, meaning that you two were actually _sleeping_."

"Don't split hairs over it, Hikari. He took his sleeping pill, and ended up slumping over on me. Grr… damn pills… If it weren't for those, he'd know how I feel… I told him, Hikari, but he was asleep when I said it." The girl brushed some errant strands of fiery hair out of her face, and grimaced, "It figures that the one time I worked up enough courage to tell him is _also _the one time that he has to fall asleep before I could tell him."

Hikari Horaki grinned at Asuka and giggled, "And I'm sure you did your very best to get back to _your _room, didn't you?"

Both of the girls knew that Asuka made no effort at all to leave, but it was more fun to exercise their usage of sarcastic comments. "Oh, but of _course_, Miss Horaki. Why would you even need to ask such a question?"

Making eye contact, Asuka and Hikari simultaneously burst out into a hysteric fit of laughter.

Hikari finally stopped her laughing and grinned at her foreign friend. "Well, Asuka, at least you had a life-sized teddy bear to cuddle up with, didn't you?"

"You know, Misato said close to the same thing… but I don't think you realize that it's _much_ better than a teddy bear." Asuka's own face mirrored Hikari's grin, and she continued, "It's so hypnotic to feel somebody's body rising and falling with each breath… I think that's what finally lulled me to sleep."

"So you're saying it's better than sleeping with this?" Hikari held up a coffee colored teddy bear that had been sitting under Asuka's bedside lamp.

Swiping the bear from Hikari, Asuka rolled her eyes, "Leave my teddy bear out of it… It's just decoration!" The girl affectionately examined its appearance and finally said, "It's one of the only things that I'd consider _normal _about me… And yes, it's _much _better… well, it was for _me _at least."

"Just where _is _Shinji anyway?" Hikari asked, as she looked around a little, "I thought he was usually here to serve you at your every whim."

"You make him sound like a man-slave!" Asuka giggled at the notion, and continued, addressing her friend's inquiry, "Well, he's over at his friend's house. It was Kaworu, I think… Yeah, it was Kaworu. He said something about music, so I figured he'd be over there."

"Kaworu? Isn't he the new student?" Hikari knew only a few things about the boy, and one of those things was that he was _quite _disrespectful to the teachers.

"Yeah, something like that. Apparently, he and Shinji hit it off, so I guess they're friends now." Asuka stood up and opened her door, "You thirsty?"

Checking the watch on her slender wrist, Hikari groaned, "Well, I would stay, but I really can't. I've got to go home and get dinner ready… If I don't my sisters will go psycho. They are nuts when it comes to food."

Asuka nodded, and walked Hikari to the door, "Here, I'll walk you home."

"Oh, that's okay. I'll be fine alone. You don't have to go through all the trouble," the brunette said, slipping on her shoes.

"Don't worry about it, Hikari. I've got to stop by Kaworu's place and pick up Shinji anyway." The redhead followed Hikari out the door, leaving a very bored penguin to look after the apartment.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji said his goodbye to Kaworu, and prepared to leave.

The silver haired youth said a farewell after his own fashion, and waved to Asuka, signifying that he saw, and acknowledged her presence.

The girl waved back, as she and Shinji began walking away. Asuka looked over at Shinji, and grabbed his hand, interlocking her fingers with his own. Since the boy had made no attempt to stop her from doing it, she simply assumed that he was fine with it.

Shinji watched as the wind blew, making the trees sway and dance in delight. He had noticed that his hand had somehow become Asuka's captive, but he didn't mind, due to the fact that he had feelings for her. "Asuka…? I've been… I've been doing some thinking lately…"

Asuka looked at him with surprise evident within her expression. "You? Thinking? That's a first, isn't it?" Asuka grinned at him and chuckled, "I was kidding, you idiot. I was kidding."

Shinji squeezed her hand and laughed with her, "Oh, really? I thought you were being _serious_." This was one of the few times that Shinji had used sarcasm, but it was more of just being playful. "Honestly though… I know that we didn't exactly get off on the right foot when we met."

"Well…" Asuka thought for a moment and snapped her fingers, "That was kinda my fault. You weren't even looking at my panties. You were just kinda staring off into the ocean."

"Asuka, you're definitely on a roll today… You keep apologizing for things. Well… even though we didn't meet under the best terms, I think that we've gotten along finely enough, you know?"

"It does kinda help that you're always nice to me. Plus, you've saved my ass on more than one occasion, Shinji." Asuka shook her head, and ran her fingers through her hair while the wind coursed through her fiery locks as well.

At that moment, Shinji wanted nothing more than to let his own fingers roam through the long, silky strands of fire. Somehow, he managed to keep his desires under control, and pressed on with what he was beginning to say. "Asuka, if I don't say this now, I'm not sure if I ever will… You know… backbone issues."

'Just what's he trying to say?' Asuka stopped walking, and stared directly into his eyes, making sure to give him her undivided attention.

Shinji let loose a trembling sigh, as nervousness controlled him like a marionette, "Asuka… I just… I'm in lo-"

The blaring wail of sirens and flashing red lights shattered the moment as though it were as fragile as glass. Thundering amid the torrent of light and noise, a male voice rang through the loudspeakers perched upon the streetlights, "Attention all NERV personnel, report to headquarters immediately. All Evangelion Pilots, change as soon as possible and stand by in your respective Evangelions."

Asuka immediately took off running, dragging Shinji with her. "Save it for later, Shinji. Once we're finished with this angel, you can tell me what you wanted to say." Winking at the young boy, she said, "I really want to know… Besides, I have something I want to tell you as well…"

The duo continued their mad dash towards the nearest NERV operated elevator. If they were lucky, they could be dressed and deployed within twenty minutes.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Kaworu stood still, watching Rei. "Hey, don't you need to be somewhere right now or somethin'?"

Rei stopped and looked at him with mild interest, "I am currently en route to NERV headquarters. You should report to the nearest shelter possible."

As she ran off, Kaworu followed after her, "Hey, wait! Where's that?"

"I do not have time to hold your hand and guide you around like a child." Rei stepped into an elevator and swiped her NERV ID card.

Kaworu slipped into the elevator with her and grinned at her, "You don't need to. I learn from example."

The elevator cage hit ground level with a dull thud.

"You are trespassing on military grounds. Major Katsuragi will decide what to do with you." Rei immediately turned off of the main hall and entered the locker room.

Four soldiers immediately shoved their guns straight in Kaworu's face, and grabbed him. "One wrong move and you're finished."

"I give you guys five stars for makin' a guy feel comfortable, I'll give ya that much." Kaworu shook out of their iron grip and walked down the hall, closely 'escorted' by NERV personnel.

Maya Ibuki took charge of him from that point on, and brought him to Misato Katsuragi, the Director of Operations.

Misato, thoroughly surprised that one of Shinji's friends would be at headquarters, said, "You're Kaworu, right? What the hell are you doing _here_?"

'Wow, Shinji's lucky he lives with such a babe… I swear, he's stuck in 'Land of the Hotties', and he doesn't even realize it!' Kaworu scratched at his ruffled silver hair and replied, "Well, I sorta followed Ayanami, 'cause I was lost. This seemed like my best bet if I was gonna survive, ya know?"

"Just stand over there and be quiet, 'm_kay_? We need to concentrate on the task at hand, and we can't afford to be distracted by you." Misato pointed over to a chair and sighed, 'I'm so lucky the Commander isn't here… I'd be fired for something like this.'

Kaji, a man who had been skipping work lately, finally rolled onto the bridge, with his usual suave grin plastered on his face. "It looks like I was just in time, eh, Katsuragi?"

"Kaji?" Misato waved a hand in Kaworu's direction and returned to mapping out a battle strategy, "Shut up and keep him busy!"

"Yes,_ ma'am._" Chuckling in his usual manner, the man sat down next to Kaworu and struck up a conversation.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji was quietly waiting in Unit-01, killing the time before his Eva was adequately prepped to launch.

"Shinji?" A small video-communication opened in the cockpit, and Asuka's face occupied the center of it. "Good luck out there… I have a feeling we'll need it."

"You too, Asuka. Always be on your guard."

She rolled her eyes and grinned, "You're telling me? Come on, Shinji. Everyone knows that I'm not going to let some stupid Angel take me down."

The rumble under Unit-01 alerted Shinji that his Evangelion was going to be launching quite soon. "I'll see you topside, Asuka."

**

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Author's Notes: **The title is meant to be said with the next chapter's title. You'll understand it once you see the nextpart... if you don't already know what it's going to be named. All I gotta do is the outtakes for Chapter VII, then I'll hopefully upload when I get around to doing it. If anybody can guess the name of the next chapter, you'll win something special... or something...**

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**Outtakes**

**-**

**I Love Section II**

"Whoa! Hey there, Rei!" Kaworu dodged a car and ran across the street to greet the blue haired girl.

Rei grimaced as she realized that it was the silver haired moron who was calling to her.

"Hey, what's up?" He casually leaned his arm against the fence, trying his best to 'put the moves on' Rei.

"Agent Sanada? Please remove this nuisance." Rei continued on her path with an evil smirk across her face.

Kaworu tried to follow the girl, but he found that he was pulled into an alleyway by a man in a suit. Whipping out a tranquilizer gun, the agent 'subdued' Kaworu Nagisa.

The deadbeat hanging out in the alleyway crawled over to the knocked out form of the silver haired youth, and slowly unhooked the golden chain from around his neck. "Heheheh… I don't know why somebody'd just leave a golden necklace laying around in an alley."

**Beer Wench!**

"Hurry up, Beer Wench! Come on, I'm thirsty!" Misato, staring at the television screen, screamed out in the vicinity of the kitchen.

Dressed in the dreaded 'Beer Wench' apron, Pen-Pen waddled to the refrigerator, and yanked a beer out of it.

"Oh, I don't want the cap on when you give it to me, either!" Misato continued her mindless staring at the television.

Tearing off the cap from the bottle, Pen-Pen waddled under the sink and carefully emptied some of the beer. Sneakily, the Penguin Assassin dumped bleach into the alcoholic drink, defiling its sanctity.

The penguin delivered the drink to his owner, and sat down, observing what the woman would do.

Misato carefully examined it, but simply shrugged, "Seems fine to me." Once again, the purple haired woman chugged the beer.

'Yes… Drink up my sweet, sweet Misato. We could have gotten along fine if you didn't make me wear this ridiculous outfit.'


	8. Stitch Up My Emptiness

**Foreword: **Yes, I finished it early, so I decided to update kinda early too. Anyway, here is Chapter VII. The First Outtake is NOT for the weak of heart. It contains disturbing imagery of Gendo and Fuyutsuki. You have been warned!

**A Special Thanks To: **_Draknal! _He gets italicized, because he's helped so much. He gave me help with writing AND helped me with the outtakes. Thank him if you see him. Thank you, Proofreaders. I'm glad that I have people who will help out with my writing. All of you people who review, thanks to you, I have continued to write.

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**Stitch Up My Emptiness**

The rushing wind battered at Tokyo III's surface and ripped leaves from the sturdy branches in the parks. A massive, glowing halo fluttered across the sky as though it hadn't a care in the world.

A loud clang resounded throughout the whole city, rattling all the windows. A colossal purple giant roared to life as it crouched low among the buildings.

Another clang reverberated through the urban area as a towering, red figure made its own way through the city.

The glowing halo continued its lazy spinning, although it seemed to wobble a slight amount more.

"Asuka… It could move at any moment…" Shinji carefully raised his handgun, making sure to take precise aim.

Asuka, always enjoying the opportunity to point out how obvious something is, forcefully whispered back at him, "I know that, moron. I have more than six brain cells, you know."

"Just making sure, Asuka," he said as his finger gently pressed against the trigger of the gun, "Just making sure…"

Asuka had also taken aim upon the rotating circle of light, "Come on, Shinji. I'm not _brain dead_!"

A beep cut the talking off, and Dr. Akagi's voice filtered into both cockpits, "Cut the chatter you two. Make sure the shots are simultaneous, if at all possible."

"Shinji… Time it like the first step…" Asuka's whole body tensed up as she made sure that her aim was _perfect_.

"S-Step? What are you talking about?" Shinji, making sure to keep his aim absolutely perfect, glanced over at Asuka with a quizzical look plastered across his face.

"Remember when we had to synchronize? We had to kick that one Angel's ass in perfect unison," Asuka grinned like an imp and chuckled, "I'm _sure _you remember. It was the time you tried to kiss me in my _sleep!_"

"I-I remember _now_, but _why _did you have to bring _that _up?" Shinji whined as he focused back on the Angel. "I already told you I was sorry, and you already kicked my face in for it!"

"I know, I just think it's pretty amusing to see you whine like that." Asuka held up five of her fingers, and slowly began to put them down, one by one.

Nodding as an affirmative of her actions, Shinji shot back with a reply, "You're always teasing me like that, Asuka! Can't you and Misato give a guy a break sometime?"

"Well sure! It just depends on what you want us to break off first." Asuka's fingers signaled that they had three seconds left before firing. Snickering, the redhead said, "We all know that Misato would try to yank off your pants and break off your-"

"Oh, shut up!" Misato blurted out. After she'd composed herself, she grinned slyly, "Heheh, if anybody, it'd be _you! _Remember those _dreams _of yours we were talking about a few nights ago?"

"Hey! That's no fair! You can't bring 'girl talk' into this! It wasn't meant for anybody else to hear it!" Asuka's fingers stopped going down for a moment as she confronted Misato Katsuragi.

"Dreams? What dreams?" Shinji was utterly confused and simply waited on her command to shoot.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Asuka screamed as quickly as she could. Her sentences seemed as though there were no break between them, and her face was beet red. "Don't listen to anything she says!"

Shinji grinned at Asuka and shrugged, "I dunno… You _are _blushing a lot, Asuka."

The girl raised a fist at him and glowered, "Shinji, I swear to God, if you-"

"Don't worry, Asuka…" Shinji quickly winked at her and turned back to the Angel, "We've got things to worry about before we get to your fantasies about me." He smirked as he turned the tables on Asuka, teasing _her _instead of the other way around.

"Oh, shut up, you!" Asuka, still redder than a tomato, tried to hide her heavy blushing from everyone by staring down into her lap.

Shinji immediately looked over at Asuka. He had an agonized look in his eyes, as if he had done something horrible. "A-Asuka! I was just kidding! I didn't know that you actually _do_ have-"

"I'll deal with you _later_, Shinji!" Asuka dropped another one of her two fingers, signifying that they were to shoot quite soon.

The azure-eyed boy let out a groan and took aim once more.

As her final finger dropped, both pilots unleashed a volley of bullets upon the halo of light.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Both of you, hold your fire!" Misato cried, as she read through a quickly written report from Dr. Akagi. "Before you continue, put up your A.T. fields. I don't know _why_ you didn't have them expanded previously, just do it now."

The Major stole a glance back over at Kaji and Kaworu, who were happily bantering, while watching the massive screens that showed the Evangelions mobilizing against the Angel.

"Hey, dude…" Kaworu quickly reached into his pockets and started fishing around.

Kaji maintained the grin on his face and gently pressed the barrel of the gun against Kaworu's ribs. "Slowly now… Can't be too careful, you know? Real sorry about this whole business, but it's my job."

"Jesus Christ, honestly, what are the chances that I have a gun or somethin' like that? Ever hear of trust?" Kaworu slowly pulled out a large wad of cash and grinned at the older man, "You wanna make a bet on somethin'?"

"And just _what _would we be betting on?" Kaji said as he jammed his gun back into his jacket, and pulled out his _own _wad of cash.

With a predatory grin, Kaworu plucked a few bills from his wad. "Twenty-five (This would translate into approximately 3000 yen, but for simplicity's sake, it's going into American Dollars) says that blue-haired chick, Rei kills the Angel."

Kaji grinned and counted out some bills of his own, "Alright!"

"Oh, _Kaji_, _dear_. You wouldn't happen to be _gambling _on the outcome of this fight, now _would you?_" Misato turned and stared him down, employing a gaze so intense that even a man like Commander Ikari would be somewhat daunted.

"O-Of _course _not, _Major Katsuragi_!" He quickly stood up and saluted the higher ranked officer, and sat back down. Covertly, the man slipped Kaworu his own twenty-five dollars, whispering only the words, "Mine's on Asuka."

Grinning, Kaworu began to laugh maniacally, "It's money in the bag!"

Instantly, Kaji felt uneasy about the bet, and attempted to reason with Kaworu enough to get his money back, "Well, what're we gonna do if _Shinji_ kills it?"

A wad of money appeared before the two males, and the arm it was extended from was attached to the drably colored suit of none other than Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki. "Twenty-five on Ikari," the aged man whispered.

"Heheh, looks like all the markers are covered." Kaworu looked over at one of the monitors, which showed Rei Ayanami, sitting patiently in her entry plug, waiting for her turn to be deployed. "Hey, Rei… Uh… Good luck out there and stuff."

"I fail to see the reason in which you persist in addressing me. I have no time to waste on something as trivial as 'conversation'." Rei's Evangelion shot up the catapult and into the battle.

"Oh yeah… This one is in the bag," Kaworu whispered.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Asuka shrugged and looked over at Shinji, "Well, I didn't see a reason to have my A.T. Field deployed, so I guess I just didn't do it."

The boy nodded and took aim upon the somehow unharmed Angel, "I know… This thing looks harmless. But, we can't take any chances."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." The girl pulled her hair out of her face, and expanded her field, while Shinji mirrored her action.

Immediately, the rotating halo transfigured itself into a rope-like eel, still giving off the same eerie glow. It quickly slithered towards the two Evangelions, ripping straight through their A.T. Fields.

Thanks to fast footwork on both of their parts, Asuka and Shinji managed to continuously dodge the Angel.

The redhead's Evangelion quickly dodged around buildings and the like, yet she hadn't noticed that one of the roads she was moving around on was a construction area. Her foot easily demolished the crumbling segment of pavement, bringing her to the ground.

"ASUKA!" Shinji shouted, as he instantly dove on top of her Evangelion. Trying desperately, Shinji managed to pull Asuka back up to the surface, although the sixteenth Angel was, by then, almost upon them.

The magnificent, glowing eel quickly darted around the two Evas, as though it were waiting for a chance to effectively strike.

Ultrasonic vibrations were given off into the afternoon air as the Progressive Knife of Evangelion Unit-01 was whipped out. With his off hand, Shinji quickly yanked the Angel towards himself, and bit into it with the blade.

Feeling the pain, the Angel emitted a scream of pure terror, and immediately shot towards both Evangelions. It quickly bore a hole through the leg of Unit-01 and snaked its way into the abdominal area of Unit-02.

Both pilots let out horrified shouts, as the foreign entity began to melt, and attempted to fuse with their bodies. Slowly but surely, it began to manifest itself in the consciousness of both Asuka Langley Sohryu, and Shinji Ikari.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Asuka… Asuka…" An ethereal voice wafted through the blackness.

"Go away! I don't want anything to do with you!" Asuka quickly turned away from the direction that the voice was coming from.

The voice seemed to circle around her and used its most soothing voice possible, "But I can complete you… make you whole… you'll never feel pain…"

"As tempting as it is… HELL NO!" Asuka screamed at it, making a defiant stand against the seductress' voice. "I don't want _anything_ from you. The only thing that I want can _never _be given to me by anything or anyone other than him. It has to come from his heart, and _that's_ the only thing that'll complete me. _That's_ the only thing that'll make me happy. I don't want any of your bullshit ideas of completion when I know what my heart is telling me."

"Do you _enjoy _the pain!" Its voice rose, as though it was getting desperate and also indignant at the same time.

"Ya know what? Maybe I do!" Asuka's rebellious smirk and bold stance quickly chased off the intoxicating voice.

Closing her eyes, Asuka put her hand to her heart and whispered one word, "Shinji…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Rei thundered across the city, hoping that she could only help her comrades in some way. Even the taciturn First Child had begun to get worried about her fellow pilots, seeing as how the Angel had attacked them, and now the Angel was somehow trying to infuse itself with them.

The audio communications channel quickly opened up, and Misato spoke to the girl, "Rei? Do all that you can to help them." Another voice was heard in the background and it sounded oddly like, "Hell yes! Kick its ass! Come on, foxy girl, I know you can do it! Win me some money!"

"I am not a fox." Rei charged towards the other two Evas and placed a well aimed shot right on the body of the sixteenth Angel.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Now Shinji… You are going to become part of me. Together, we can be complete." The Angel took the form of a commanding voice, and stared straight into Shinji's eyes as the scenery sped by from the subway train.

The young man shifted his gaze and stared into his lap, "I… But…"

"No. You _will_ do it."

"I… I won't." Shinji looked back up at the Angel with fire in his eyes. The light that had been kindled within them had never once been there before. Hope shined like a glistening obelisk brought forth by his irises.

"How _dare _you disobey a direct order! Especially one from a _commanding officer_." As the last words were spoken, the Angel took the form of Gendo Ikari, the Commander of NERV and all its operations.

"Father… I promised somebody very important to me that I would tell her something equally as important… I don't know how it will go, but I know that I have to try."

The train came to a stop, and Shinji stood up, walking away from the Angel in his father's form as the doors to the car opened.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Rei's shots had absolutely no effect upon the eel-like Angel. The blue haired girl simply stood there, in deep thought. Using all of her intellectual power, Rei tried to determine the best way to go about defeating the Angel.

'It immediately attacked as soon as the other two pilots unfolded their A.T. Fields…'

The girl turned away from the Angel, despite the constant yelling and screaming from Misato Katsuragi. "Rei? What are you doing! Get back there and help them!"

"Major Katsuragi… I know how to kill it." With that said, Rei positioned herself and waited, "The rest is up to the others."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Kaji grinned at Kaworu with a jovial look in his eyes. "Sorry, kid. Better luck next time, eh?"

"Oh, it's not over yet, buddy." Kaworu had absolute confidence that Rei would somehow kill the sixteenth Angel, and make him a total of fifty from Kaji and Fuyutsuki.

'What could have possibly convinced me to put money on the outcome of this battle! If those children lose, Humanity loses…' Fuyutsuki carefully examined the Angel and its rope-like appearance.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Unit-01 let out a fierce roar, and reached down to grasp the Angel. Tightening its grip, Shinji began to rip it out of the body of his Evangelion.

The red robot also reached down, and assisted the purple demon in its labors. Slowly, but also very surely, they pulled the Angel out, and threw it to the ground.

Leaping into the air, Shinji brought his foot down upon the luminescent being, trapping it under the massive foot of Unit-01. With a savage war-cry, he stabbed the Progressive Knife through the glowing Angel, and pinned it to the ground. Shinji was freaking out, and his Evangelion had entered berserker mode.

Blood splattered every single inch of the area that the Angel was pinned down in, because Shinji had gripped it by the head, and started to pull. Inch by devastating inch, the Angel was split in half by the very knife that acted like a spike to hold it down.

Crying in agony, the creature slipped from Unit-01's grasp, and slithered free of the knife, despite the fact that now, its body was completely split in half.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"It appears as if I'll be taking that money back, doesn't it Kaji?" Commander Fuyutsuki was all smiles, and he patted the agent on the back. "It's okay, if I win, I'll treat you both to dinner."

"It's not dead yet, you know. We'll see just who kills it." Nothing could shake Kaworu's confidence in Rei Ayanami.

Kaji groaned, "When Shinji's a berserker, you never know _what_ he'll do!"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Lower your A.T. Fields." Rei's face popped up in the cockpits of both Asuka and Shinji's Evangelions.

"Why should we do that? We'd be _defenseless!_" Asuka looked at Rei expectantly, waiting for the answer to her questions. 'She must have gone wacko or something! Lower the A.T. Fields… What's up with _that?_'

"I agree with Asuka. We need to keep pressing this Angel if we want to kill it." Shinji also tried to figure out just _what _Rei was thinking. "If we don't have our A.T. Fields up, we can't defend against an-"

"Lower your A.T. Fields, now." Rei seemed to be getting impatient, and she closed the intercom link.

"Well, Asuka… If Rei says we should… I mean, it's not like she'd do anything without being sure of the outcome, right?" Shinji looked at Asuka and slowly lowered his own personal A.T. Field.

"Okay, fine! But if we get annihilated because of this…" The fiery girl left her threat unfinished and simply lowered her own field.

Immediately, the Angel stopped, and changed back into the spinning disc-like form. It had stopped attacking the Evas, and instead began to float around, as if waiting for something to happen.

"It senses A.T. Fields." Rei gripped the controls to her own Unit-00, and spoke into the intercom once more, "You are both safe from it currently." The red-eyed girl spread out her defensive barrier quickly. Like a master fisherman, the girl had set out her bait, and masked the deadly hook carefully.

Shifting back into its offensive form, the sixteenth Angel sped towards Rei at dangerously rapid speeds. Like a dart, the split creature shot towards the blue robotic figure.

Rei's eyes narrowed and she crouched into a stance that would allow her the optimum range of mobility. As she felt the shock of the sixteenth Angel ripping through her A.T. Field, Rei's breath was knocked out of her. She quickly recovered and grabbed hold of the wriggling creature, wrestling it to the ground.

The Angel continually tried to infuse itself with her, whispering sweet words of death into her ears.

Ignoring it, Rei focused on putting her plan into action. She dove through the air, with the Angel still clasped in her iron grip. With brutal efficiency, the girl slammed it through the exact object that she was hoping to hit. The Tokyo III power plant crackled as Rei closed the circuit between her own Evangelion, the Angel, and two turbines.

The crackling surge of raw and unbridled fury rebounded all within her body, and also the body of the Angel. The electrical rage tore through Rei as though she were nothing at all.

The agonizing screams from Rei and the Angel both rang out at the same time, as the Angel completely burnt up.

"Unit-00… has gone silent."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Pocketing his newly earned money, Kaworu flashed a grin at the two dumbfounded losers. "Heh, told you."

Kaji, completely astounded, allowed his mouth to hang open, whereas Fuyutsuki simply remained unchanged on the outside. The Sub-Commander simply thought to himself, 'At least Gendo is still out of town on business… I wish I hadn't bet that money. What's lost is lost, I guess.'

"Hey… uh… What're you lookin' at me like that for, lady?" Kaworu tried his hardest to not retreat under the baleful stare of Misato Katsuragi.

"You, _mister_, are not supposed to _be _here. You were supposed to go to a shelter!" Misato jabbed a finger into his shoulder, and stuck her own face closer to the boy's.

Kaworu leaned away from her and frowned, "Uh, as pretty as your face is, I'd kinda like to get my personal space back, you know?"

"What's wrong? Never been that close to a woman?" Misato's whole demeanor had shifted to a playful one, in a matter of seconds.

The silver haired youth stepped back from her and folded his arms. "Bein' close to the ladies comes _naturally_ to me. You, however, are probably going to either slam me in jail for something, or quite possibly shoot me with that gun you got in your jacket."

"Perceptive, aren't you?" Misato grinned at him and put her arm around him, "Now, if you're a _good,_ little boy, I'll let you off with a slap on the wrist. '_Good_' would most definitely entail you telling me _everything_ that you have done with Shinji and Asuka."

"And just _what_ would you need that information for? I'm sure we could work out a deal, heh, you know?" Kaworu rubbed his hands together and looked up at the Major.

Tightening her squeeze around his neck, the woman smiled devilishly, "You _do _know that you're in no position to bargain, right?" Misato was quite satisfied with herself. She had found somebody who could let her know about her two charges, and the relationships they were building.

Kaworu rolled his eyes and folded his arms once again, "Okay, fine! Jesus, _ma'am_. You're one devious person, you know that! But I'm serious here… I really do need a favor."

Misato poked him on the head and ruffled his already messed up hair. "Just what the hell could you possibly want? You're like, fourteen!"

"Come on, I wanted to visit that Rei girl in the hospital, alright? I needed to thank her." Kaworu tried to shake Misato off of him, but the woman would just _not _let go.

"How did you know she was in the hospital already, and thank her for what?" Misato pulled away from the boy and sat down in a chair, gazing intently at him.

He sat down next to Misato and idly toyed with his own silver locks, "Man, you sure change real quick… Well, I have a brain, and I saw Rei being taken in a stretcher. Besides, I was right here when you said 'Get Rei to the emergency room!' Don't you remember?"

Misato grinned widely and ruffled his hair, "Well, Mr. Kaworu, what, exactly, do you need to thank her for?"

"Will you stop it with the hair!" Kaworu bristled. This woman had met him only a few moments ago, and yet she was acting as though they had been friends for the longest time.

"You're dodging the question, Mr. Nagisa. Oh, and before you ask, I found out who you are because Shinji told me what you look like. You can call me Misato." The woman stood up and beckoned for the young man to follow her.

"Man, a girl who knows everything about me… _Scary_. Well, I guess I figured I could talk to Rei while she _does _have time to waste. Heheh, I know it's devious, but come on! She always says things like 'I don't have time to waste on conversation' and stuff like that." Kaworu stifled a yawn and shrugged.

The purple haired woman burst into laughter as soon as she heard the monotone voice of Rei Ayanami almost completely mimicked, albeit in a more masculine voice, by Kaworu Nagisa. "Okay, okay. We're on the way there… but still, you didn't tell me what you were gonna _thank _her for."

"First off, I needed to thank her for bein' such a babe. Second, she won me fifty bucks! Definitely need to thank her for that one." Kaworu flashed Misato a smile that was akin to the kind that a playboy would give to one of the many girls he's met.

Immediately, Misato's ears perked up, and she attentively listened to Kaworu, probing as to the matter of money, and possibly the involvement of a scruffy-looking, pony-tailed man. "Money? She won you _money!_ Just _how _did she do that?"

"Me, that Kaji dude, and Afronova had a bet going on." The boy continued walking, and carefully inspected the nameplate outside of one of the rooms.

Misato slammed her fist into her open palm as she fantasized about strangling Ryoji Kaji for gambling on such an important thing. "Kaji is in for it now… That jerk… You said Afronova, right? Who's Afronova?"

"Oh come on… You know... ugh… Well, he's got a white afro, and he's like… all commanding and stuff." Kaworu moved on to the next door, and read the sign to himself.

Misato, completely horrified and mortified that the young man would call such a powerful man by that name, tugged at her own hair as if she were going insane. "C-Commander _Fuyutsuki!_ You called Commander Fuyutsuki _Afronova!_"

Ducking into the room with Rei's name on the nameplate, Kaworu waved to Misato and called out to her, "Yeah, well, I gotta go. This is my stop. See ya later, eh?"

An icy voice whispered into the almost silent room. It barely had enough strength to speak over the beeping of the heart monitor. "For what purpose are you here?"

"Hey there, Rei. How ya feelin'?" Kaworu sat down in a chair near to her and grinned at her with his usual confident style.

The girl closed her eyes so that she didn't have to look at him, and whispered once again, "I do not know what you want, nor do I care much. I do not have the time to waste on talking with you."

"But, Rei…" he said with a chuckle, "What _else _would you do? Come on, seriously. It's better to have somebody with ya, right? You ain't got nothin' _but _time."

She opened her eyes and shifted her position so that she was facing away from the boy. "I am not a fox."

Kaworu's face easily betrayed his puzzled mind, as he moved himself into position to look in Rei's eyes. "What are you talking about? I never said you were- oh… _Oh! _No, no, no. I said you were _foxy_, not that you were a fox! It means that you're hot… er… cute… Damn it, you get what I mean, right?"

The girl blinked and looked away once again, "You… confuse me."

Sighing, Kaworu moved back into her eyesight again, 'Well, this is gonna take a _while _to explain… Eh, screw it. I have all the time in the world.'

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji slowly shifted his weight between his left and right feet, trying to determine whether or not he should go through with his plan. He raised his hand to knock on the door to the locker room, and brought it back to strike the door. As his fist was about to collide with the steel door, the boy stopped, allowing his arms to flop at his sides. He turned to leave, once again running from his fears.

A soft hand gently, but firmly gripped his wrist, detaining him near the doorway. As if by a peaceful stream, Shinji was whisked into the steamy locker room. "Going somewhere, idiot?"

"I uh… d-didn't want to intrude…" Shinji immediately blushed and looked at the tile floor intently.

"Oh come _on_, Shinji! I've got a towel around me! It's not like I'm completely naked!" Asuka let her towel slip down even more, allowing the skimpy, damp cloth to reveal even more of her figure.

"Asuka will you stop that? It's… It's embarrassing." Shinji's eyes were drawn to the curves of Asuka's body, no matter how hard he tried to look away, as a respectful person would.

The girl disappeared behind the lockers, and Shinji could hear the girl getting dressed back into regular clothes. "You act like you've never seen _more _than that. Heh, now I _know _that's not the case."

Immediately flushing red, the boy babbled as he remembered what he had seen, "A-Asuka! That was an accident! I didn't think tha-"

"Who says it was your fault?" The girl walked out from behind the lockers, fully dressed, and flashed a wink at him. She leaned against the lockers and allowed her eyes to wander around Shinji's body.

In the steamy room, Shinji gazed straight into Asuka's eyes, and noted how her damp hair would stick to her skin. Her neck was almost completely encased in the moist locks of fire. "Y-You did it on purpose? Then why'd you hit _me _for it!"

"Come on, Shinji… You had to pay for it _somehow_… and I _highly doubt _that _you_ would pay in any other way." The redhead picked up a comb from a shelf, and began to run it through her lengthy hair.

"I… guess that is true…" He sat down on one of the benches positioned near the lockers, and began to sort his thoughts out, so that he could finally do what he meant to do.

A slight whoosh sent steamy air towards Shinji, as Asuka sat down right next to him. Slowly, she began to lean, finally allowing herself to press up against him. She felt a warm arm wrap itself around her, holding her in place with the quiet force that he exerted.

"Asuka," he said as he disentangled himself from the girl. He completely turned his body, so that he was staring straight into her eyes. "I… I need to talk with you seriously for a little while…"

Remaining silent, Asuka nodded, hoping that this meant what she thought it meant.

He shifted his position once again, and put his hands over Asuka's. "I… I'm not good at this, so I'll just say it… Every smile you show… every time you hit me… every time you laugh… I… I wouldn't change one single thing about you. Asuka… I love you… with all my heart."

Watching the boy blush heavily, Asuka pulled her hands out from under his and hit him on the shoulder. "You jerk!"

Instantly feeling the sting of rejection, Shinji slid back on the bench a tiny bit. "_A-Asuka?_"

"You stole what I was going to say…" Asuka grinned at him and pulled him into a hug.

Shinji was completely shocked. Asuka just admitted to loving him back in all but saying the words! The girl's warm breath caressed his ear, and he could feel her mouth getting closer to it.

"Shinji… I love you too."

She had said it. She had _told _Shinji that she loved him. Asuka's tender embrace was slowly returned to the girl, and the two were fixed in that position, like stone sculptures.

"Shinji… you always know how to treat me… I… Heh, you make me feel like a princess… even though you _are _an idiot some times. You're not like other guys… You'll never think of me like a goddamn_ trophy_. Shinji… I'm glad that you finally said it to me. I was going to tell you how I felt today as well."

"Asuka… There's something I've always wanted to do, but I was always afraid you'd hit me for it. Do you mind if I go ahead and do it?" he whispered into her ear, eyeing her quickly drying hair.

The Pilot of Unit-02 nodded, and closed her eyes. "Go ahead… _as long _as it's not perverted!"

"Don't worry about that, Asuka… You know me better than that, right?" He reached up and allowed his fingers to run through the girl's hair.

After a few minutes, the girl let out a massive yawn, "Shinji, if you keep doing that, you're gonna put me to sleep! Think you can wait 'til we get home at least?"

He nodded, and stood up, holding Asuka's hand. "Let's go home, then. It's already getting late."

With interlocked arms, the couple began their trip home.

**

* * *

Author's Notes: I hope you liked the last chapter. **I had fun writing this story, and I hope you liked reading it as much as I hope... If you didn't know I was joking, just... I dunno. There will be more chapters, folks. Don't kill me yet.**

* * *

**

**Outtakes**

-

**Afronova, King of the Disco**

"DO THE HUSTLE!"

Kouzou Fuyutsuki immediately burst out into the Hustle, executing it with brutal efficiency. His whole soul was poured into this one dance. He was blessing the floor with his dance. He, the King of the Disco, was gracing this new Disco club with his insane skills.

Over the music, a steady chant of "A-FRO-NO-VA!" could be heard.

Gendo Ikari followed along doing the Hustle as close to Fuyutsuki as anybody could get. The two had ruled the Disco Scene for many, many years in Japan.

The night wind swept through Yui Ikari's hair as she looked out the window with a large frown on her face. 'I hate this song. Those two always get into it _way _too much… It's even worse when they do it completely in synch… Oh God, I just had to think of that.'

Gendo 'Funk-master' Ikari and Kouzou 'Afronova' Fuyutsuki completely synchronized their movements, and were giving of a dazzling display.

"Oh God… Can we go yet!" Yui called out to them as she stood by the door with an impatient look on her face.

"Just… a few… more… songs, dear!" Funk-master Ikari replied, as he and Afronova amazed the audience.

Yui frowned again, and thought, 'Damn… At least they're not making _me _do it.'

"DO THE HUSTLE!"

**Peace and Quiet**

Kaworu continued to push Pen-Pen over with his foot, grinning maniacally as he tormented the bird.

Pen-Pen had been minding his own business until this silver-headed jackass showed up. Clicking his switchblade out, he leapt upon the youth and slashed through his guitar strings, leaving Kaworu in shock.

"Why you little…" The boy hopped to his feet and dove for the bird.

Pen-Pen, being an expert in all forms of martial arts, grabbed the guitar from him, and struck him over the head with it. Quickly pulling the strings off of the guitar completely, the devious and extremely tired penguin tied Kaworu up, and left him in the closet.

'I may be psychotic, but even _I _need some sleep.' Pen-Pen closed his eyes and drifted into Dreamland.


	9. Dreaming Myself to Sleep

**Foreword**: Yeah, yeah, I didn't update for a while. I might put this story on hold for a little while, since school is starting back up. Sorry if that makes anybody angry/sad, but I'm doing this so that my chapters don't suck.

**A Special Thanks To**: Uh... You readers! Thanks for your continued support and stuff... It means a lot that you actually enjoy my writing, you know? Anyway... On with the story.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-) (-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-) (-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

**Dreaming Myself to Sleep**

"_So! _Where were _you _two?" Misato grinned like the Cheshire cat, as she was perched on her chair, with her omni-present beer.

"At NERV, obviously. Don't you use your brain at _all_,Misato?" Asuka kept Shinji's arm entrapped with her own, making sure to walk right past their guardian.

Misato's jaw almost dropped off of her body as she watched Asuka gently kiss the young man on the lips before walking into her own room.

Shinji looked back at the astounded Misato and mentally smiled, 'That's my cue to lock myself in my room 'til morning… before she has the chance to interrogate me.' He quickly stepped into his room and fortified the door, effectively keeping everyone else out.

'Did Asuka just…? Oh… my… _GOD!_ I KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN!' Misato triumphantly chugged a whole beer, congratulating herself on the prediction.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji yawned and turned the page of his math book. 'This stuff is pretty hard… I don't really understand it… I'll ask Ritsuko or Misato about it if it's not too much trouble for them…'

"God damn it, Shinji. Why did you lock the door?" Asuka's voice filtered through the door as she tried her hardest to open the young man's door.

"Oh, it's you, Asuka. Here, I'll let you in," said Shinji as he slipped from his bed, and unlocked the door. "Come on in."

The girl quickly shut the door behind her and sat down on her fellow pilot's bed. "_Why _did you lock your door?"

"I uh… Didn't want Misato to bug me, you know? She'd just never stop teasing me." Shinji closed his math book and fell backwards on the bed. "It's really been a long day… you know?"

Asuka fell back as well, and cuddled up next to the boy, "I know… But honestly…? I really don't even mind it right now."

"I just wish I could fall asleep… and we have that test Friday…" He closed his eyes and sank into his bed.

Asuka stood up and went to the door, "Can you hang on a second, Shinji? I gotta do something real quick."

Shinji nodded and felt around on his dresser for his small pill bottle.

"Misato, I'm sleeping with Shinji tonight. Don't flip out in the morning." Asuka turned back around and started into his room.

"Young missy, you better keep that door wide open where I can see in. And also, you have to actually be _sleeping_. Also, keep all hands, feet, tongues, fingers and other 'appendages' to yourselves. Got it?" Misato grinned as Asuka flushed bright red.

"You pervert… Why would we do something like _that?_" Asuka averted her eyes from Misato and folded her arms. "Come on, you know how Shinji is… He'd _never _agree to do anything like that."

"So, he's not like your Dream-Shinji?" Misato giggled.

"Oh, _shut up!_" Asuka cried as she walked back into Shinji's room.

Shinji set down the glass of water, and swallowed. "So what did you need to do, Asuka?"

The girl snuggled back up next to Shinji and nuzzled her face against his chest. "You don't mind if I stay here for the night, right, Idiot?"

Grinning, Shinji shook his head, "As long as you don't do anything perverted, Asuka."

"_Me!_ I should be worrying about what _you're _gonna try to do." Asuka elbowed him and repositioned herself.

"Asuka… I take sleeping pills. I doubt I'd be able to do anything. Seriously, _if_ I tried anything, which I won't, with my luck, I'd end up falling asleep halfway through." He began to get up out of bed, stirring the girl from her comfortable spot.

Asuka, suddenly alone in the bed, growled at Shinji, "You moron, what are you doing _now_?"

He glanced at Asuka and then back to the hallway, "I… The light in the hallway… It's starting to bug me, so I figured I'd close the door."

"Misato wants it open. Come back and lay down, Shinji." Motioning to the spot of bed right next to her, Asuka smiled brightly at the young man.

With a flick of a switch, the couple was bathed in darkness. Within minutes, Shinji had lain back down on his bed, and Asuka had just as quickly pressed her body against him.

Slowly, Shinji began to run his fingers through his best friend, and also girlfriend's hair, hoping that it would have the same effect that it had earlier.

A massive yawn coming from Asuka immediately told him that it still seemed to be putting her to sleep. "I guess you like this…"

A sad look seemed to rouse in surface in her clear blue eyes, "It reminds me of… my mother… She used to play with my hair for hours… but that seems like it was a lifetime ago… I… it makes me feel close to you, Shinji. It's… It's an intimate sort of feeling… You're the only person allowed to do this, so you should be-"

"I'm honored, Asuka… It means a lot that you're all mine… and it goes both ways… I'm all yours." Shinji continued to play with her hair, and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

Asuka drifted off into sleep, with Shinji tenderly playing with her hair.

Shinji, on the other hand, was not so graceful about falling asleep. He simply ceased to move as his sleeping pills took effect. 'It's like a good dream that I never want to end… Goodnight, Asuka…'

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"D-Doctor Akagi! Can you hold on for a minute or two?"

"Oh!" the pseudo-blond doctor said in surprise. Shinji didn't really talk to anybody much, more or less _her_ of all people. "What is it, Shinji?"

Shinji blushed and shuffled his feet uncomfortable, trying to find a position in which he wouldn't feel like as much of a moron in. "I sorta… I need your help with something. I have a question I need to ask you…"

"Well, sure. Come on, we can talk in my office. It's this room." Ritsuko held open the door for the young man, and ushered him in, sitting him in a chair facing her desk.

"So what did you need to talk about? Eva? Your father? A _certain_ _other_ pilot?" Ritsuko sighed and shook her head, "I'm afraid I can't help much with the last one… I'm not the most outgoing person. Besides, the phenomenon of 'romance' is_ so _illogical…"

"N-No… I… I was wondering if you could help me with some… math…" He meekly pushed a book up onto her desk, and his cheeks flushed, "As much as I try, I still just don't understand some of it. Do you think you could…?"

Ritsuko flipped open the book and examined the earmarked page. "Sure, I'll help you out. You're such a nice boy, I figure helping you out is the least I can do."

Suddenly, the young man stopped being so embarrassed, and had relaxed in his position more. "Thank you, Ritsuko."

"Oh…" she said understandingly, "I see what you've been doing wrong." The faux-blonde doctor pivoted in her chair and typed a few commands into her computer with lightning speed and accuracy.

A whirring noise began to permeate through the room, as one of the many appliances began to belch out a piece of paper, which was handed to Shinji.

Ritsuko handed him back both his book and notebook, "I've printed out a few sample problems for you to do. Look _carefully _at the formula when you're doing them, alright?" The woman stood up and motioned with her hand, "Come on, we'll do them in a less cluttered place. The break room is a little more spacious. It's easier to concentrate in an open space, according to some of the latest research done by Doct… Sorry, I just tend to go on and on about some things."

Shinji accompanied the woman into the break room, so that he could more easily concentrate on his math problems. He slowly sat down in one of the chairs far in the corner of the room, and stared down at his papers.

Ritsuko sipped at a fresh cup of coffee as she glanced over Shinji's shoulder, examining his work. 'He can get past the first few steps no problem… It's the last few steps that he messes up… Hopefully, he'll realize his own mistake, and correct it. Mother always said that it's better to learn for yourself than to have somebody do it for you.'

The young man's writing stalled for a moment and he stopped moving completely. Moments later, his hand shot over to his notebook and also his textbook, fingers darting through the pages. Looking back and forth between the sources of his knowledge, Shinji sighed and slapped a hand to his forehead. "I've been using the wrong formula this _whole_ time!" Shinji quickly altered the formula in his notebook to match the one in the textbook, and finished the first problem rather quickly.

Ritsuko watched in amazement as he efficiently finished his math work. 'He's a quick learner… He's not as quick at picking it up, but once he has it down… ' She continued to watch as the minutes passed, and Shinji's progress continued at a steady pace.

"Um… I'm finished, Dr. Akagi." Shinji held up his work as proof, and meekly spoke a second time, "I was… wondering, if it's not too much trouble… if you could maybe check them for me?"

The doctor took the paper from him and began to look it over. "Sure. It's not a problem, Shinji. And remember, you can just call me Ritsuko. You don't have to be all proper and such."

"Sorry…" he muttered as he stared down into his lap, hoping that he did his math the correct way. 'Maybe I should… do something nice for her… Just to thank her for helping me out.'

Ritsuko handed his paper back to him and smiled at him, "You did very nicely, Shinji. I don't see any mistakes here at all. It's amazing what happens when you get the formula right, isn't it? Even something small, like using the wrong sign can completely mess up the answer."

"Thank you, Ritsuko. I… um… It really means a lot to me that you took some time out of your schedule to help me out." Shinji gently bit his lower lip and remained silent for a moment, but finally spoke up, "Um… R-Ritsuko? A-Are you doing anything for d-dinner tonight?"

"Oh probably not. I don't like going out much. There's just not much to do at home. And for a girl like me, there's not much to do in Tokyo III either." Ritsuko finished her coffee and threw the cup away. "Why do you ask?"

Shinji shuffled his feet a little bit and blushed, "Well… Um… Why don't you come on over to Misato's? We'd sure like to have a visitor, you know? I'll make dinner. I can pay you back for helping me that way, alright?"

"Sure, I'd love to. How's seven?" Ritsuko poured another cup of coffee in a fresh, Styrofoam cup, and headed towards her office, with Shinji in tow.

"Um, yeah. Seven's fine. I'll see you then, Ritsuko." The young man waved goodbye and began his way home.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"I'm home, Asuka!" Shinji slid the two grocery bags up onto the counter and quickly sifted through them, making sure he had everything he needed.

He felt something warm press against his back and felt two arms encase him in their grip. "Hey, Shinji… I was waiting for you to get back."

"Oh… How come, Asuka?" He grinned and began to set out some of the many ingredients he would need for dinner. Though he tried to turn around and face her, Asuka's iron grip kept him from moving.

She pressed her body closer to his and nestled herself against his back. "Do I need a reason to want to be with you?"

He reached back and attempted to wrap his own arms around her, but found the angle too difficult. He finally managed to get his arms back far enough to be holding on to her. "Um… Asuka? Are… Are you wearing clothes?" He ran his fingers across her back and felt no clothing. "Because it doesn't feel like it."

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." She closed her eyes and smiled as she tried to melt into Shinji.

Feeling her boyfriend tense up in her arms, she rolled her eyes and sighed, "Yes, I'm wearing clothes…" She grinned and got herself into a more comfortable position and whispered in the most seductive voice she could muster, "You caught me as I was getting out of the shower so… I'm only wearing my underwear… Wanna guess which pair?"

"Asuka…" sighed Shinji, closing his eyes in a feeble attempt to get the mental imagery out of his head, "Do I _have to_?"

Clutching him tighter, Asuka frowned and growled at him, "Yes, idiot, now _guess!_ You're taking the fun out of this."

"Um… You're wearing the light pink ones with the glittery stuff on them?" Shinji tried to turn around again, but was still held in place firmly.

"Did you look? I can understand getting the color right, but how did you guess that they had glitter on them!" Grinning like a devious cat, the girl purred into his ear, "Maybe you just wanted a closer look?" Asuka turned him around so that she could catch the massive blush which she was sure to be seeing soon.

Playfully smiling, Shinji's hands dropped to her hips, keeping her in a loose hug, "Maybe I _do_ want a closer look." Shinji enveloped her in a warm embrace as he pressed himself closer to the girl.

"Oh really now, Shinji. You think you can _handle _a closer look? Are you sure you even _want _one?" Asuka could feel her body heating up due to the close proximity of the young man.

He lowered his face closer to her ear so he could whisper to her. "I do want a closer look… But not right now… Maybe when we've matured some more, Asuka… We shouldn't be in any rush. We've got plenty of time." He kissed her earlobe and, still feeling daring, gave it a playful, yet gentle tug with his teeth.

Asuka felt a tremor run through her body as shivers wracked her body. "Ooh, S-Shinji?" She recoiled within his embrace, as she was startled by the brazen move made by the Third Child, Shinji Ikari.

Pulling back, Shinji's azure eyes were filled with concern as he gazed into Asuka's own cerulean irises. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable like that, Asuka. Can… Can you forgive me?"

She pressed herself against his body, burying her face in his chest, "You just startled me… that's all. As a matter of fact Shinji… it startled me in a _good _way." She pulled back and grinned mischievously. "If you keep doing things like that," Asuka winked at him while she paused, "your 'closer look' could be a whole lot sooner than you'd think."

He ran his fingers in her hair for a moment or two, lovingly staring into her eyes. After a moment or two, a Kaji-like grin appeared on his face, "Nah, I just like teasing you."

"Ooh, Little Shinji thinks he can tease _me_. That's _so _cute!" Asuka pinned him to the wall and allowed her lips to brush against his, but never fully making contact. "Just remember… I'm the _Queen _of Teasing." Asuka backed off with a feisty smirk on her face.

"Well in that case, this humble servant must start cooking dinner. We're having a representative from a neighboring kingdom over. I believe it's called the Kingdom of Logic. Hopefully, our Queen of Booze won't embarrass us too badly." Shinji turned and began to prepare dinner.

"Uh… I'm too lazy to figure that out." The redhead stood next to him and lent a helping hand with dinner, "So who's coming over?"

"Some girl. I met her about… oh, I don't know, probably ten months, seventeen days and fourteen hours ago, give or take a few minutes." His girlfriend frowned as he continued, "She's really beautiful… Long, luxurious, red hair, sapphire eyes as clear as water, lips like-"

"Oh, quit complimenting me." She shot a wink at Shinji and grinned, "I'll have to show my appreciation later… But really, who is coming over?"

"Ritsuko. She helped me with some of my homework troubles, so I thought it would be a nice gesture to invite her over for dinner, just to show her that I value the help." The young man quickly minced vegetables while the skillet was heating up.

Pulling her fiery locks of hair back, Asuka tied a navy blue ribbon into said hair, to keep it from interfering with dinner. "That was very thoughtful of you, Shinji. I wonder why I didn't start seeing this side of you much earlier…"

He simply smiled and squeezed her shoulder.

"I guess I'm blind or something." Asuka grinned at the boy and continued to help him out with preparing dinner.

A poignant smile rested itself upon Shinji's lips and he slowly spoke, "My… mother… before I lost her… She… I remember, she told me that… A lot of times, we don't appreciate what we always deal with… because we learn to depend so heavily on it that we can't even fathom it not being there… It… It's one of the last things I remember about her…"

Holding on to him tightly, Asuka embraced him, quietly saying, "Stop it, Shinji…"

Utter surprise overtook his facial expression, completely erasing his melancholic smile. "S-Stop what?"

"That smile… I just can't stand it when you smile like that, Shinji… It just looks so… _sad_." She let go of him and smiled at him. "Take a mental picture. Whenever you're sad, now you can have this to cheer you up, okay?"

The two continued to prepare dinner in a comfortable silence, each working quickly, and efficiently.

"Asuka? … Thanks… For caring."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Wow… That was great, Shinji. Thank you for dinner." Ritsuko sat back in her chair and sipped at the golden-yellow beer can wedged between her hands.

Nodding his head, Shinji motioned his hand to Asuka. He still felt uncomfortable being in the spotlight, even when it was only among close friends. "Well, I had a bunch of help, from Asuka here."

Misato, grinning stupidly, was obviously feeling somewhat intoxicated. She had a few too many beers that night, and was feeling the effects. "Ooh! Are you sure that's _all _you two did in the kitchen? You weren't-"

"Misato, obviously we didn't do anything that you're thinking of. If we _did _perhaps do what you're thinking about, then how would we have gotten a dinner like this ready?" Asuka rolled her eyes at Misato and scoffed at what Misato was thinking. 'Ugh… That woman always gets drunk when we have company over.'

The purple haired woman raised an eyebrow and grinned deviously, "Well, Asuka, maybe you two just had a quick _go at it_ while you were waiting for everything to cook."

The burning crimson shade Shinji had turned radiated embarrassment in countless ways. He had become more nervous, simply _thinking _about what Misato was suggesting.

"Misato, last time I checked, we were talking about Asuka and Shinji, not you and Kaji." Ritsuko actually smiled as she watched Misato's face turn scarlet.

Shinji, in an attempt to keep from blushing, began to clear off the table and wash the dishes. 'Misato always does that sort of thing… Doesn't she know how embarrassing that is?' He glanced back at the table, and saw Asuka staring at him.

She grinned and mouthed a quick sentence to him, "Hang in there."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Are you done talking? 'Cause I'm done listening. I don't give a damn what you want. I already told you, I'm gonna do this shit _my _way. Now, like I was say- HEY ROBO-BITCH KEEL! Don't interrupt me again, or I'll cram a friggin' pack of C4 into your ass and explode it… That's more like it. You and your Third Impact can wait. I'm a little busy having fun. … … How? Are you kidding? Dude, there are mass chicks here, and they're all hot. What the hell do you _think _I'm doing? Hey! _You_! With the talking! Shut up! See you assholes later. And by the way, don't call this phone again. Heh, if all goes well, I'll be seein' a hell of a lot more of this Rei babe. … No, I don't give a damn about what part she plays in your stupid ass 'scenario'. Look, jackass, hot girls like her _deserve_ to have a guy like _me_ around. Seriously! How the hell can you just say that she's just a… Argh!"

A loud crunching noise reverberated through the hallways as Kaworu chucked his cell phone at the wall. "Goddamn old men… I'm the one with the power and control. They can't order me around. I've never taken orders from anybody, and I'm not about to start."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Rei's eyes flicked open as the door to her room opened and closed once again. "You are still here. Why?"

"Oh, sorry. Did I wake you up or something?" Kaworu sat down in a chair and rested his feet on the small monitor near her bedside. "You sure sleep light, you know that? A little earlier, I barely moved my foot and you woke up. Heh, sorta like a cat, ya know that?" Grinning, he made a playful, rumbling growl similar to what a tiger would do when scratched behind the ear. 'Ooh… Wonder if she can cuddle like one, heheh.'

"Why are you always… smiling?" There was something hidden within that monotonous voice… It could have been a mixture of curiosity and of anger. Rei, despite desperate attempts at it, could never smile quite as sincerely as this boy could. Something about that set Rei on edge, and, though she felt ashamed for it, made her angry.

"Hm… You know? I have no idea! I guess I just smile when I'm with a really pretty girl like you." Kaworu winked at Rei and used every ounce of his charm in it. There was something about Rei that was intriguing. This enigmatic girl had somehow managed to pierce the skin of Kaworu Nagisa. 'I usually get tired of most girls after a few hours… but _her_… I don't know, but I'm sure as hell gonna try.'

"Stop it."

"Stop what?" Kaworu continued to grin at her and shifted to get a better view of her face.

"Stop smiling like that… and stop looking at me." Rei rolled on to her side and stared out the window desperately, as if trying to escape Kaworu.

He ran his fingers through his silvery locks of hair, in a pitiful attempt to smooth his hair down. "Well… I'll stop doing it… if _you_ smile _with_ me." Reaching over with two fingers, the young man gently turned her head, so that they were face to face. "And it has to be a _good _smile too. You can't just fake it, m'kay?"

There was definitely anger flashing in her eyes as she stared him down. 'You believe it is simple to smile… I have nothing to smile _about_.'

"_Everyone _has something to smile about… Even you." Kaworu, still touching her face, smiled sincerely into her eyes. "Come on, Rei… Just one, tiny, little smile. That's all you need to get me to leave you alone."

Slowly, her pale lips began to curl up. It was as if some sort of outside force began to take control, almost handling her like a marionette. 'I… want to smile. Could that be the reason that this is taking place? I wish to be just like him… I might enjoy being able to smile as he does.'

Ever so subtly, Kaworu's fingers began to caress the girl's face. 'Whoa, buddy. Control, man… Control… Can't be creeping her out this early.' Still, his hands refused to obey his will. 'Jesus friggin' Christ! I know she really cares for her skin and all, but what the hell! I've never had this problem before! Alright you bastards, hold still for just a little while longer!' The dissenting digits discontinued their devious strokes.

"You were… stroking my face, were you not?" Rei, though still speaking in her usual monotonous voice, had a smile resting on her face. It may have been a small one, but it was also genuine.

He backed away from her and rested against the door, "Yeah… Sorry about that. Just kinda happened, you know?" He turned and opened the door, "Well, I made a promise… See you later…" Sending one final smile in her direction, the silver haired guitarist started to step into the hallway.

"I… um… You may stay, if you desire…" Rei was amazed at even herself. For one, she just invited the boy that she wanted gone a moment ago back into her room _and _she had stumbled over her words. Rei had never, ever, not once in her life, used the phrase 'um'.

The boy began to chuckle as he turned around, finally bursting into a full bout of laughter. He leaned against the doorframe and winked at her, all the while smiling, as was usual for him. "Just couldn't get enough of me could you?"

Rei simply raised an eyebrow at him.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Come on, Shinji! You gotta shake out the cobwebs faster than that! It's not like I ran you into the ground yesterday. In fact, I helped you _sleep_ better." Asuka, with her iron grip on Shinji's hand, was dragging him towards the school building.

Rolling his eyes, Shinji caught up to her, "Asuka, I think my _pills _helped me sleep. If anything, _I _was the one who helped _you _sleep. As soon as we lay down and I get a hold of your hair, you go out like a light."

Blushing furiously, the girl elbowed him lightly, "Oh, shut up! Just because you make a good pillow and everything doesn't _mean _that you helped me to sleep."

Shinji grinned and squeezed her hand, "Yes, it does, Asuka. Think about what you just said." He laughed aloud, leaving Asuka to smile at him. She, along with everyone else, rarely saw Shinji Ikari laughing.

Asuka gave him a playful shove, still beet red. "I was uh… I was testing you! I have to look out for you, right? Er… Gotta make sure that you're always on top of things."

"Well then, thank you." He leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek, making her blush even more.

"Hurry up, idiot. We have to get this note to the office before school starts, you know? Otherwise, they'd think that Rei was just cutting school." The redhead pulled Shinji into the school by his hand, half dragging him, half letting him walk.

The pair walked through the halls, hand-in-hand, garnering multiple double takes from the student body. It was one of the least likely things to happen. Most of the girls realized that Asuka had her eye on Shinji, but also knew that she'd _never _admit it to anybody, least of all _Shinji_.

Plenty of other girls also wanted Shinji, but they could tell from the way he looked at Asuka that he had his heart set. Each glance, word, and even breath was caring when it was directed towards her. Most people would easily get angry with the German, but Shinji's patience always persevered, at least, to their knowledge.

'Thank God that Toji and Kensuke never get to school until the moment class starts…' Holding securely to Asuka, Shinji grimaced, 'Those two would probably be angry with me…'

"Jesus…" Asuka said as she opened the door to the principal's office, "You'd think they've never seen a couple before… It's not like we're such an odd couple. Now if it was something like Rei and your friend… uh… guitar man… Now _that _would be a weird match up."

He closed the door behind them and continued to follow Asuka. "Oh come on, Asuka… Kaworu's not that bad. Sometimes, he's just a little… defiant…"

"A _little?_ That kid just has problems with authority… and he called me a 'babe' when he first got here. If I wasn't so busy flirting with _you_, I would've popped him one," the redhead made a punch at the air to add emphasis to her statement.

"I wouldn't judge him so quickly, Asuka. Why, if it wasn't for him, I'd still be completely clueless about your advances. _He _was the one that helped me to notice it… And besides, I already told him not to call you a babe…" Shinji quickly kissed her on the cheek again, saying, "You're _my _girlfriend. Besides… Babe just isn't a good word. I think that you are just beautiful, all around."

"Well you certainly are great at flattery, aren't you?" Asuka tossed a letter onto the principal's desk and headed out the door. "That's right… You're _my _boyfriend as well… Just remember, Shinji, I'm a _very _possessive person." When she said the word 'very' her eyes seemed to shine with both a dangerous _and _an alluring light.

As they both left the office, Asuka slapped a hand to her forehead, "Crap… Stay here, will you? I left my school bag in there." Asuka strode back into the office and started looking around for her things.

"Ooh, hey there, Shinji." A girl from his class stepped up to him and seemed to close in on the young man. "Are you doing anything right now?"

Feeling as if his personal space was being violated by this girl, Shinji took a few steps back, trying to put space between them. "Er… yeah, I'm waiting for A-"

"Oh, great! How about we go somewhere where we can have a little more privacy?" The girl winked at him and grabbed him by the wrist, refusing to let go as she tried to drag him away.

Shinji, using the doorknob as an anchor, held his position. "Wh-What are you doing? I'm waiting for Asuka!"

Asuka, meanwhile, who was inside the principal's office, was furious at this girl. She had to do _something_. 'I'm Asuka Langley Sohryu, damn it! There's no way I'd let a… let a… a _mega-bitch_ like her steal Shinji away from me, even for a minute!'

The loud speaker crackled and came to life, and Asuka's voice filtered all throughout the school. "Attention! Attention, Action Whore, with the Kung-Fu Grip! Get off of my Shinji!"

Everyone was frozen in place. Asuka had just announced Shinji as her boyfriend and on the _loud speaker _no less. The labeled Action Whore's Kung-Fu Grip remained firmly on Shinji's wrist.

"Are you brain damaged? Do I need to find the button that'll turn you off? Let go of him, right now." Asuka slammed the loud speaker off and stormed towards the door.

The girl scrambled away from Shinji, fearing Asuka's wrath. She scurried down the hall, fleeing from the couple. There was no doubt in anybody's mind any more.

Shinji and Asuka were together.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-) (-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-) (-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

**Author's Notes**: Why the hell are the lines broken! I couldn't put them into my story, and it's bugging me, because the story looks so different! GAHH! Anyway, now that that's out of the way, I think I can safely say that I hope you liked that chapter.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-) (-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-) (-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

**Outtakes**

**-**

**Unexpected**

Asuka glanced at the lifeless girl on the floor with a humorous gleam in her eyes. "Well… Certainly wasn't expecting that one."

Shinji nodded solemnly as he eyed the large, red button imbedded into the fallen girl's back. "I didn't think they made girls with 'Off' buttons. If I would've known that, I would find yours… You know, just in case you decide to try and kill me with Pen-Pen again."

"You have to admit… That was good. Nobody else would think of using him as a weapon." Asuka shrugged and smiled deviously, "And _how _will you find _my _'Off' button? I'm _sure _you weren't thinking anything perverted, _right!_"

"R-Relax! I was only joking about the 'Off' button! I would _never _do something like that to you!" He hugged the redhead tightly and quickly jabbed his finger into her back.

Falling to the floor, the German's body went completely limp.

"Freakin' finally! I can have a little peace and quiet!"

**World Domination… I think**

At last, his plan was going to come to fruition! Absolutely nothing could stop Pen-Pen from ruling the universe! With anticipation seemingly dripping from his mouth, the crazed penguin shakily reached towards the button labeled 'Total Annihilation'.

"Pen-Pen! It's bedtime!" Misato reached into the bird's refrigerator and completely pulled out the control console for all of Pen-Pen's plans.

He was frozen in place for a moment, in complete shock. Slowly, tears began to drip from his eyes as the reality of the situation set in. The failsafe plan that he had created was foiled by a woman who walked around in a constant drunken stupor. '_That _is the woman I have to deal with!'

Laying down, Pen-Pen cried himself to sleep.


	10. Attached At The Hip

**Foreword**: Yes… That's right, boys and girls, I'm back! And I'm also freakin' sorry… I got side tracked, and forgot about this story… I just… I'm just glad to say I'm back, and I'll finish it up soon.

**A VERY Special Thanks To**: Draknal, for keeping on my ass until I finally got mobilized, and kept working on this. Thanks, man. And also… THANKS FOR THE LINES!!!!! He helped me out with some of the lines in the story… very funny ones at that… And also, a website devoted to chopping stuff up in blenders. It rules so much.

* * *

**Attached at the Hip**

"Now everybody, take your seats… I see that Mr. Nagisa is absent today…" The teacher quickly jotted a tiny note in his grade book, marking him as missing.

Shinji frowned deeply, murmuring, "That's unlike him… he always shows up for school… especially since today is chicken wing day. He swore he'd never miss that lunch." Shinji slumped a tiny bit in his seat, and sighed.

Asuka, rolling her eyes, impatiently tapped Shinji on the shoulder. "Oh, sit up straight, Dummkopf. I'm sure your vulgar friend is prowling about _somewhere_." She leaned in closer, with her soft, red hair tickling the back of his neck. Whispering quietly, she gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze, "Don't sweat the little things, Shinji…"

The young man reached up and placed his own hand over his girlfriend's, smiling lightly. "Thanks, Asuka…"

Asuka simply winked at him, and sat back. After a few silent moments, the girl looked around the class. "Awfully silent today. Where're the stooges?"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Gah! It's freaking locked! That stupid teacher _always _locks the damn door once the bell rings!" Toji grimaced and punched the locker nearest to him, as he looked at Kensuke.

The nerd simply shook his head, "Don't look at me, buddy! I don't know how to pick a lock!"

"Oh yeah, well _I_ can sure give it a try!" Toji immediately set to the lock, in an attempt to open the door.

"Tch…" A pale hand roughly shoved both boys away from the door. "Amateurs." The young man backed up and leaned against the lockers on the other side of the hallway, with a devious grin on his face.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"So you see, since the Second Impact, the rising water levels ha-"

A loud crash, and the squeal of hinges being ripped off of the door frame rang out in the room like an N2 Mine.

Picking himself up from the ground, Kaworu smiled like a demon, and flicked his hair out of his eyes. "Gee, Teach. You might wanna get these doors checked out, y'know? They seem pretty flimsy to me."

The teacher paused, staring at the silver haired boy, who stood on the fallen door dominantly. "Mr. Nagisa… doors are not to be used in that manner." Readjusting his glasses, the old, and most likely senile teacher began his rambling about Second Impact.

With an arrogant look, Kaworu turned to the class and raised his arms, pointing to himself. "And all of you may rejoice. Yes, I am here. Don't worry, there's enough of me to go around for every hot girl." Winking, he finished his thought with a smile, "But I gotta save a little bit of myself for a special chica who just can't make it into my glorious presence today."

'Who could…? No… he _can't _mean Rei… can he?' Shinji buried his head in his arms, and growled in frustration into his desk. 'Kaworu probably couldn't even get Rei to say "Hi"! Ugh, this is a disaster…'

Strutting to his seat, Kaworu slapped Shinji on the shoulder. "Told ya, dude. No way in hell am I missin' chicken wings!" The young man slung himself into a seat, and put his legs up on the desk to the front and left of him. He winked at the girl whose seat it was, giving her a coy smile.

The girl, who happened to be Hikari Horaki, simply scoffed, and continued paying attention to the teacher.

Kaworu smiled once again, and addressed the Class Representative, "Lookin' pretty nice today. You dress up just for me?"

Blushing furiously, the freckled girl turned to him, and stammered, "I-I beg your pardon?"

"Just messin' with you." Kaworu winked at her and leaned in closer. He whispered, "I already know you got your eyes on somebody else." He sat back in his seat and made a zipping motion to his lips.

Nodding slowly, Hikari shot a look of mixed relief and appreciation.

Shinji sat still in his seat, like a zombie, with a blank look on his face. 'Kaworu? Rei? I thought he was just running his mouth! Oh man… although… if it works…'

Kaworu looked over at Shinji and gave him a tiny shove on the shoulder, saying, "What's up with you? Asuka got your tongue? Heh, oh wait… that was last night. Heheh, my bad, dude." Chuckling to himself, Kaworu glanced back at Asuka, who was a deep shade of red, due to blushing.

Shinji looked like his head was going to explode from all of the blood amassing within it. His face was beet red, caught in a blush. "Wh-What?! No! M-My tongue stay-"

Rising from her seat, the red headed demon began screaming, "Pervert!" A loud crack rang out in the room, as Asuka shouted.

Kaworu grinned wearily, and looked ready to pass out. Glancing down at the laptop around his neck, he chuckled, "Thanks, Asuka… I guess I can start a new trend…" With that said, his head promptly drooped, and he fell unconscious.

Looking mortified, Shinji looked from Asuka, to Kaworu, and back again. "A-Asuka… you just…"

"Oh, alright, fine!" Asuka blurted, as she walked over to Kaworu's desk. As she walked, she mumbled, "I hate it when you look at me like that… it's like kicking a dog." Asuka nudged the silver haired boy in the head gently, then twice, much harder, after she hadn't gotten even a groan from him. Finally, Asuka rolled her eyes, and whispered under her breath, "Hot chicks washing cars in bikinis… Oh God… I can't believe I said that…"

"Chicks? Cars? Bikinis? Where?!" Kaworu immediately shot up from his desk, looking around for the promised spectacle. Seeing nothing, he frowned and rubbed a pale hand to his neck, feeling the red blood trickling down, and into his hands. "Liar… that was just mean… trickin' a guy like that…" he mumbled grumpily at Asuka.

"The shattered screen and scraps within the computer must have cut him…" Asuka whispered, with a pang of guilt in her voice. She was apparently sorry that she had caused him so much harm.

Nonchalantly, he simply strolled over to the broken down door, and began to step outside, into the hallway.

The teacher, finally brought out of his oblivious state from rambling about Second Impact, looked over at the young man, who was standing on the door, and said, "Are you going somewhere, Mr. Nagi… What is around your-"

"Yeah… I'm sorta like… bleeding from the jugular veins or somethin' like that… It's pretty bad. So, yeah, I'll see you in about twenty minutes." Kaworu shrugged, and left the room, with all of its occupants astounded.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Grunting in exertion, Kaworu gripped the metal husk of the laptop, and completely ripped it off of his body. "God _damn_. She hits freakin' hard… dunno how Shinji does it… She's a complete spitfire… I know she's hot, but that dude must be either a masochistic freak, or he just sees the good in everybody… " Shrugging, he grinned, "Nah, it's both, and they got some sort of connection … or something stupid like that. Just seem like they hit it off."

Grabbing hold of his neck, he applied steady pressure to the gashes. "This thing's bleeding like a bitch! What the hell's up with this?" His eyes narrowed, and his thought to himself, 'I know I ain't human… but even so… losin' a bunch of blood like this ain't good for me… Gotta patch myself up somehow…'

The young man simply strolled down the hallway, until he came across the stairs, and another erudite walking up them. The nerdy-looking kid, who was obviously younger than Kaworu, seemed to try his best to run away, but Kaworu caught a hold of his tie at the top of the stairs.

Blood trickling from the neck, Kaworu lifted up his leg, and placed it on the kid's chest, and delivered a kick that pushed him down the steps. "I need this."

Fastening the tie around his neck, he made an innocent face and said, "Ooh! Look at me! I jacked up my pants for my first day of school, and I studied all summer!" Scoffing in disgust, Kaworu began to secure the strip of cloth around his wounds, scathingly grumbling, "Pfft, prick."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Rei?"

"Yes, Commander." Rei looked away from the window, and stared directly into the sunglasses of the intimidating Gendo Ikari.

Gendo stared back at her, showing absolutely no emotion. "Have you had any visitors?"

"Yes, Commander," came Rei's default response.

Pushing the sunglasses back up on the bridge of his nose, the Commander stared coldly down at her. "And… who _were_ these visitors?" Of course, being the Supreme Commander of NERV, he already knew exactly who had been in and out of the room, down to the exact amount of time each person had been in contact with her.

"Pilots Ikari and Sohryu visited me for a short time. Both were kind, surprisingly, as I was under the impression that Pilot Sohryu did not enjoy my company. Major Katsuragi and Doctor Akagi also visited for a brief time… and…" Rei turned her focus back to the window, as her mind flashed pictures of Kaworu before her.

"And…? By your lack of finishing the sentence, I assume that there was at least one more guest." He knew that the silver haired youth, known as Kaworu Nagisa had paid Rei a visit… a visit exponentially longer than any of the others.

"There was one other… another student in my class. He is known as Kaworu Nagisa."

"I see… and what did you and this… _Nagisa _converse about?" At this point, Gendo had no idea what Rei would answer him with. She seemed quite distracted at the moment, but he was determined to obtain answers. Even with his stature, he could not get any way to figure out what dialogue passed between them. He could only know for a fact that the boy was there.

Rei blinked for a moment, and her head jerked back slightly, but not enough for anybody to notice. She felt herself smiling at the memory of Kaworu. Trying her hardest to suppress a blush, the blue haired patient said, "He was… he refused to leave. He simply came in to speak with me, or so he said… He was… talking at me, for a long time…"

"Very well… I shall have security bar him from entering this room."

"N-No… I… It was no trouble at all…" She turned her head, staring straight into Gendo's shrouded eyes, unflinching. She felt something inside of her set off, as she knew what Gendo would do if he caught Kaworu visiting her. "In fact, I insist that Kaworu Nagisa be granted access to this room. I enjoy his company, and I am inclined to believe that the converse is true as well."

"Indeed…" Gendo simply turned around and stalked out of the room, as if he had just been severely offended.

"Why…? Why did I act in such a way?" she whispered, staring calmly out the window, and at the scenery. Almost seamlessly, her vision switched to mental pictures of Kaworu, and she felt her lips turn upwards into a smile once again. This time, the blush ran rampant across her face. "So…" the reclusive girl mused, "It seems that I _do _have a reason to, smile after all…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Asuka sat in her seat with a downtrodden look upon her face. She was so wrapped up in herself that she didn't even notice the bell ringing, signifying that it was lunch time.

She felt a tender and still somewhat timid hand grip her shoulder. "Asuka…? It's… lunch time."

Snapping out of her spaced-out mode, her pupils refocused, as she stared into Shinji's eyes. "Oh…"

"Asuka, are you alright? I'm… worried about you, you know? I… I don't like seeing you like… _this_…" Shinji plucked a few errant locks of hair hanging down on her forehead and tucked them behind her ear.

She simply sat in silence, staring at the surface of her obviously pseudo-wood desk.

Frowning, Shinji bit his lip. He knelt down next to Asuka, and stared into her eyes, though she wasn't looking back. With a gentle smile, he slipped his arms under her, and picked her up, carrying her for a few steps, before she squirmed out of his grasps.

"What do you think you're doing, you pervert?" Asuka seemed to relish these words, as she said them with a large grin gracing her face. "If you wanted to hold my glorious body _that _much, why didn't you just _say _so." Winking, Asuka closed the distance between them, and breathily whispered into his ear, "You _know_ I'd let you…"

His face was beet red, as the dreaded blush overtook him. "I, um… Er… _Asuka!_" Shinji finally calmed down once the girl had moved back a few steps. "You really had me worried, Asuka…" He took her hand, and the two began their trek to the teen-infested cafeteria.

"I… I'm just sorta mad at myself… for earlier…" Asuka gripped his hand even tighter, and rubbed at her eye furiously with her free hand, as if wiping away unseen tears. "I… I really overreacted, and I let you down, Shinji… The sound in your voice… and the damage I did to that b- Kaworu… Kaworu. I just… I wish I didn't screw things up like that!" She stomped her foot with the last sentence said, and stopped walking, simply staring at the linoleum floor.

"… Stop moping…"

Looking up in surprise, she stared at Shinji, who stared right back. His face was a blend of emotions. A dash of disappointment, with a hint of sadness seemed to be the most prominent upon his visage. Asuka stammered, "W-What did you say, Shinji?"

"I said, 'Stop moping,' Asuka." Shinji gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and softly said, "This isn't the Asuka _I _know, and love very much… That Asuka is confident, and full of energy, and life… not to mention an unquenchable fire." He tapped her on the tip of her nose, and said, "And that's the one I like seeing the most."

"Shinji, I just-"

"Asuka, will you give me a hug?" Shinji held his arms open a tiny bit, welcoming the usually fiery redhead.

Reluctantly, the German teenager stepped forward and embraced Shinji, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "Of course, I'll give you a hug…"

"Just don't worry about it, Asuka… Look, when we get into the cafeteria, _if _you're still worked up about this, you can just find Kaworu, and talk it over… I'm sure he won't mind." Shinji wrapped his arms around the girl as he spoke, and gently ran his fingers through her hair.

"Okay…" Asuka looked up, and planted a tiny kiss on his cheek, saying, "Thanks, Shinji… for caring about m-" The girl interrupted herself with a massive yawn, and she shook her head, loosing Shinji's fingers from her hair. "No! It's too early for a nap!" With another grin, the girl kissed him on the cheek once more.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Kaworu sprinted into the cafeteria, and jumped through the doors, kicking them out of his way. How _dare _an inanimate object get between him and his beloved chicken wings?! He quickly glanced behind him, to see the molasses wave of students gradually working their way towards the large dining hall.

"Heh, got the jump on them!" He continued his frantic pace towards the lunch line. Skidding to a halt, he barked out his order, "Gimme a triple, no _quadruple _order of wings! Pronto!"

He swiped his food from the cook's grasps, and quickly shoved a few bills into the man's greasy hands. "Yeah, yeah, keep the change!" Like a bat out of hell, he began dashing around the cafeteria, in search of his next objective.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji, gently holding his girlfriend's hand, timidly stepped into the large cafeteria, full of prying eyes. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy Asuka's company, but it was more that he was unused to being the center of attention, like Asuka generally was. As all the eyes turned to him, his gaze immediately dropped to the tiled floor, as he silently wished he could disappear from their sight.

Asuka squeezed his hand, and whispered, "Oh, lighten up, Shinji… _You _should be _honored _to be seen like this in public… _especially _with such a positively _radiant _and _beautiful _girl, such as myself."

"Um, Asuka… I think you forgot to add 'superior' in there," Shinji chuckled nervously, hoping to dispel said uneasiness with a slight joke of his own.

Rolling her eyes, and giving the young man a playful shove, she half growled, half laughed, "Oh shut up, you!"

"Where in the hell is the God damned hot sauce! If I find out one of you little bastards is hidin' it from me, I swear, I'll do something drastic!"

Both Shinji and Asuka froze in their tracks and looked up at the silver haired youth, who was parading around on one of the tables, waving a fluorescent light bulb around at people, casting its harsh light upon them.

Shinji glanced over to his left, at the station where all of the lunch condiments were contained, and plucked the unopened bottle of hot sauce from it. "This stuff is disgusting… It's way too hot…"

Kaworu still scanned the room, trying to find the beloved sauce. "If my damn wings get cold while I'm waiting to find this stuff, I'm going to freak out! Now where _IS IT?!_"

"Kaworu!" Shinji lobbed the plastic bottle through the air, and towards the guitarist, at a relatively slow speed, so that he would have enough time to pluck it out of the air.

"Jackpot!" The silver haired boy flashed a casual smirk towards Shinji and backed up towards the edge of the table. Utilizing his legs like springs, the young man vaulted himself backwards, in a back flip, and caught the bottle midair. "Thanks, buddy. Knew I could count on you."

The couple followed Kaworu to his seat, as they had packed their lunches, or rather, _Shinji _had packed their lunches, and they did not need to pay for any cafeteria food.

Shinji seemed to instantly relax in Kaworu's company, and began to lighten up.

The brown haired Eva pilot eyed the necktie around his friend's neck, and asked, "Kaworu, why are you wearing a _tie? _You despise being told what to wear, more or less dressing _nicely_…"

Fingering the tie which concealed the lacerations on his neck, the young man shrugged, "Oh, I figured I'd look nice for school, since I care _so much _about it." With a devilish grin, Kaworu said, "I _swear _I didn't jack it from one of the nerdy bastards who ain't got nothin' better to do than study…"

Both Asuka and Shinji shook their heads slowly, while rolling their eyes. The only thought going in both of their heads was; 'I should've known…'

"Heh, and it's sorta coverin' up that little, tiny cut your "close friend" gave me." As he said "close friend" he motioned to Asuka, and gave Shinji a grin, mouthing the words, "Heh, more like "sex buddy", heheh…"

Shinji bristled at him, and mouthed back, "Kaworu! I… We haven't done anything of the sort!"

The young guitarist simply raised his eyebrows jovially, and began to eat his beloved chicken wings.

"Man, that's vile… How can you do something like that to your food?" he inquired, watching in morbid fascination, as his friend dumped more and more hot sauce onto his chicken wings.

"Pfft, you just don't understand the science of chicken wings. This hot sauce, even though it's pretty mild, gives them a little bit of a kick! Now, if we had something hotter, that would just kick ass, because these damn things would be so good th-" Kaworu stopped himself mid sentence, and stared directly at Asuka, with his burgundy eyes, saying, "Am I boring you?"

Shinji leaned over and whispered to the girl who was intently staring at the table in front of her, "Asuka… now is your chance… Go ahead…" He gave her a gentle nudge in the ribs, and a reassuring smile.

Letting out a massive, heaving sigh, the girl mentally prepared herself to apologize. "Um… Ka… Kaworu. I wanted to a… apologize. Yeah, I wanted to apologize… I sort of overreacted earlier… I'm sorry…"

"Heh, you shouldn't be askin' for my forgiveness. I'm not the one who had Shinji's tongue." The silvery locked guitarist winked at Asuka with a chuckle, and continued eating his lunch. "You kids and your naughty little games…" At this, he simply put down his food, and burst into a hearty round of laughter.

All the while, Asuka was seething with anger, and embarrassment. "We did _not _do _anything_ like _that!_" she said forcibly, albeit quietly.

Kaworu leaned in towards her, and whispered, so that only they could hear each other, "But I know you _want_ to… you _know _he's too innocent to do that sort of thing correctly, _yet_…"

Glowering in embarrassment, Asuka lashed out with her foot, and kicked him in the shin, under the table. 'He's… I don't want to admit it, but he _is _sorta right…' The girl shot a quick and unnoticeable glance towards her oblivious boyfriend, picking away at his lunch systematically. 'My Shinji _is_ innocent… as much as I say otherwise…' She felt a tiny smile creep up on her face, accompanying the thought.

Grunting a little bit, Kaworu rubbed at his shin. 'Jeez, she kicks harder than she punches… now that ain't even cool.' He grinned at his food, and continued to eat, as was the point of lunch time, stopping periodically to take a draft of water.

Between Shinji, Asuka, and himself, there was a cheerful banter, as though the violence of earlier had been forgotten.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"I… wonder where Kensuke and Toji are…"

"Eh, they skipped out on class today. I think they bounced when I knocked down the door, you know? Probably figured they'd get busted by somebody for being there… wusses." Kaworu idly toyed with his hair as he strode down the sidewalk with Shinji, who had Asuka firmly latched to his arm.

The redhead sighed heavily, and groused, "Ugh, the _stooges_… I swear, if they say one word, I'm going to flip out."

Shinji pulled her a little bit closer to his body and gently rubbed her shoulder. "It's okay, Asuka… just… just leave it up to me… I'll try to explain it to them… If they don't approve, then I guess I can't really call them friends…"

"I might have to reward you for being such a good, little boy," Asuka said enticingly, using her index finger to trace a line down from his neck to his stomach.

"A-Asuka, I d-don't… I don't think we should be-"

"Just relax, Shinji… It's not like I'm gonna bite…" Asuka leaned in close to him, placing her mouth near his ear, whispering, "Unless you _want _me to…" The German girl grinned, and placed a kiss on his neck.

Kaworu stopped and frowned as he looked back. "Well, as much as I'd like to stay and watch you two go at it in public, I gotta get going. Gotta haul ass so I can truck it over to the hospital."

Both Asuka and Shinji ceased their intimacies, and stared surprised at everything, finally realizing that they _were _in public, and such displays wouldn't be prudent.

"Nice talkin' to you guys, but I got a date to keep with a pretty, little thing." With that said, Kaworu flipped them the finger with a grin, and sped off in the opposite direction.

Asuka stared blankly at the retreating boy, then turned her gaze to her boyfriend, shaking her head lightly, "…Shinji, you have some weird friends."

Sighing, Shinji nodded in agreement, quietly saying, "Yeah… Heh, after all, _you're _my friend too."

Rolling her eyes, and half laughing at the same time, Asuka elbowed him in the side, "Oh, quiet, yo-"

"ARE YOU INSANE? JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH! RED LIGHTS MEAN STOP, JACKASS! GREEN MEANS STOP FOR _ME_!"

Asuka paused, and blinked a few times, then giggled, "Let me rephrase that. You have some weird _and_ volatile friends."

Shinji simply winked at her and said, "Like I said before." He chuckled a tiny bit, as they continued on their way.

After a few minutes of silent walking, Asuka cried out, "What?! I'm not volatile! I'm just like a giant teddy bear!"

"Heh, that took you a little while to figure out, Asuka…" Shinji quickly pulled himself into a standing ball, to block any blow that would come from his girlfriend.

"Oh, shut up, Shinji," Asuka cried, whilst laughing the whole time. "I'm just like a teddy bear, and you know it." She leaned closer and purred, "I'm _great _with cuddling."

"A teddy bear with a shotgun maybe." Shinji burst into a massive assault of laughter, and sprinted towards the apartment, with Asuka in hot pursuit.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Kaworu quickly turned the door latch to Rei's room, and tossed the door open. With a florid grin, he leaned in the doorway, and winked at her. "Hey there, Snow Globe… Heh, you miss me?"

Staring at him blankly, the hospitalized female pilot frowned at him, saying plainly, "I fail to see the similarities between myself and a glass orb filled with water and tiny squares of plastic."

"Whoa… You need to lighten up, girly." He walked over to her hospital bed, and pulled up a chair, then straddled it, using the back to rest his arms, and placing his chin upon his arms, so he was at face level with the girl. "Just think about it for a sec. Look, snow globes are _real _easy on the eyes, if you catch my drift." Kaworu seemed to purr out the last words, and continued, "But they're even better when you shake 'em up."

Grinning predatorily, Kaworu raised his eyebrows at her, before finally saying, "It's astounding how so much beauty could be packed into such a tiny package…" Kaworu looked over the whole of Rei, with another smile gracing his face, and made a rumbling noise of appreciation from deep within his throat. "Heh… and what an alluring little package it is…"

Cheeks flushed, Rei stammered out, "You e… embarrass me… I do not understand why you say such things…"

Instantly dropping his joking façade, Kaworu became all business, as he gently reached out and covered Rei's hand with his own calloused fingers. "Doesn't it feel nice to be complimented?"

"I… am not sure… This is new to me." Nevertheless, she still was flushed.

He scooted closer to her, and stared deeply into her eyes, as if he was probing her mind. "And yet you're confused by these emotions… You're blushin' but you don't know why. You may not think that you act very human, but deep in there, under those layers of snow, you're a girl… and girls _love _to be complimented."

"Perhaps there is truth in that statement." Rei stared back into his burgundy eyes, the color of wine. "Perhaps I _do _enjoy such statements…"

"If you didn't, you wouldn't be smiling."

Reaching a delicate hand up to her lips, Rei felt around her face, realizing that she was, in fact, smiling, albeit a tiny one. "Perhaps… I enjoy conversing with you…"

"Seems like it, Snow. Sure seems like it…" He gave her delicate, pale hand a squeeze, and simply said, "If you call, I'll answer… Before you ask, that means you can always talk to me." Kaworu stood up out of his chair and headed towards the door, playing with the necktie around his neck. "Well, Rei… I gotta skip. I'll visit you tomorrow, alright?"

"I can smell the blood on you… What has happened?" Rei propped herself up further in her bed, and stared intently at the silver haired youth.

Shrugging, and trying to play it off like nothing, Kaworu removed his necktie, and said, "No big. Just a little bit of a cut. Just a little minor thing."

"I do not believe that is classified as minor…" Rei clicked a button, and spoke into a tiny box near her bedside, "Nurse, I require assistance… An acquaintance of mine requires medical aid."

"No, Rei, it's fine…_ really_. I'm bein' serious here!" As hands began to grab him, he fought his hardest to escape them, dodging, ducking, bobbing and weaving to escape the nurses. Finally they got a hold of him, and he struggled even more. "Get offa me, you freakin' behemoth! Somebody call off the Man-Nurses!" Kaworu's ears twitched as he heard a tiny noise among the commotion.

Rei let out an almost inaudible chuckle, as she watched the spectacle unfold.

Immediately, Kaworu ceased to fight, and simply became limp, with a smile upon his face, "I made her laugh… I made _Rei_ _laugh_… heh… my little Snow Globe…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Major Katsuragi, see to it that the boy is commissioned."

"Yes, Commander." Misato turned to leave the office of the feared Gendo Ikari, anxious to exit, because of the nervousness she constantly felt in his presence.

Her escape was to no avail, as he called out her name once more. "Major Katsuragi."

Misato turned around warily, unsure of what to expect. "Y-Yes, Commander?"

"See to it that the boy is compliant in this matter…"

"Yes, Commander, sir." Saluting him, Major Katsuragi turned on her heel and left the office.

"Kaworu Nagisa… I shall be watching you most carefully…"

* * *

**Author's Notes**: And there you go. There was another chapter of this story, and I hope you enjoyed it… but you probably all forgot it, because I haven't updated in FOREVER… Sorry readers. Now, you guys'll have to be patient with me once again… I know it's trying, but I probably won't update for a little while… It will be within the two weeks, hopefully though…

* * *

**Outtakes**

**-**

**Electrogore**

Every occupant of the cafeteria stared at Kaworu, alarmed at his outburst. The silver haired boy swiped the fluorescent light in his hand around as if it were a sword, pointing it at each person he addressed.

"Hey! Nerdy bastard, over there!" Kaworu called at the same kid whose tie he had stolen. He waved the light at him, and called out again, "Are you brain dead?! I know you can hear me!" Still receiving no response, Kaworu cracked him over the head with the light.

"Ow! Stop it, fag!" the boy whined, clutching at his head with his hands.

Kaworu instantly recoiled, as if he had been punched in the face. "What was that…? Did I hear you _correctly?!_" The silver haired boy jumped off of the table, and swung the light bulb like a baseball bat, smashing it into thousands of glittering shards over the kid's head.

As the other boy lay whimpering in pain, Kaworu grabbed him by the ankles, dragging him through the glass. When he reached the giant trash can at the exit of the cafeteria, the volatile, young man dumped the still moaning body of the other kid into the trash, and sealed it up.

"I _ain't _gay."

**The Doctor is In…**

Black, beady eyes glared down at Rei's writhing body, while he gripped the plastic bag even tighter, between his finger/claw/flipper appendages.

Through the semi-transparent bag, the homicidal bird could vaguely see Rei's bulging eyes, as she clutched at her throat, and the bag enclosing it. The normally pale skin was now turning a tint of blue, as the oxygen was cut off from her body.

Rei wouldn't _get _a chance to think twice about asking for medicine from Dr. Pen-Pen.

The bio-genetically engineered, warm water penguin simply squawked, which translated into a rough, 'Next!'


	11. Agony in the Moonlight

**Foreword**: Um… Yeah. Chapter 10. No idea what to say here, so, ENJOY!

**A VERY Special Thanks To**: All of you. I'm glad you haven't forgotten about this, those of you who reviewed. And as always, I gotta give some credit to Draknal, the proofreader of this writing. I have to give some credit to a friend of mine, named Grant. I had to borrow something he said… I couldn't resist.

* * *

Asuka, hand clenched into a tight fist, as she stood outside of Shinji's room, scowled heavily. She did _not _need to put up with his crap, especially not with the killer headache she had. "Dummkopf!" the girl shouted, pounding on his door. However, even her powerful lungs were drowned out by the torrent of noise pouring forward from behind the door. But then again, Asuka had _other _ways of being heard.

The music stopped immediately, as the redhead flung open Shinji's door, and shrieked, "_Quiet!_"

Stammering uncontrollably, Shinji dropped his drumsticks. "I-I um… A-Asuka? A-Are you al-alright?"

Asuka folded her hands behind her back, and pretended to pout, dramatically saying, "I have a splitting headache, and all the noise isn't helping too much."

Scratching his shaggy hair, Kaworu winced, "Yeah… about that… it's sorta my fault, Asuka… I put him up to it." He quickly scrunched up his long black sleeves, letting his pale forearms show. "Sorry 'bout that…" Though he seemed to be completely placid on the outside, he was a whining, sniveling baby on the inside. Wouldn't you be, after getting a laptop over the head? 'Oh God… Please don't let her hurt me!'

"You two've been going at it for hours. Don't you think it's time for a break? If not for _you_, then for _me?_" Asuka placed her hand on her head, and gently massaged her temples, muttering, "What a day…"

Slinging his guitar over his shoulder, Kaworu glanced at the clock in Shinji's room. "Hey man… Look, it's gettin' pretty late, you know? I'd better be headin' on home. I _really _don't like stumblin' around in the pitch black to find my way home." The silver haired boy quickly shook Shinji's hand, and gave a tiny bow and a wave to Asuka, with a smirk on his face. "I'll get outta both of your hair, and just beat it."

Shinji quickly set the table with all the necessaries, including the unnecessary Pen-Pen. Hey, sometimes even penguins like to sit at tables. Turning at his hips, the Evangelion pilot looked at his friend, and quietly said, "Kaworu… um… you don't _have _to go… Why don't you stay for dinner? I had it cooking while we were busy. It wouldn't be any trouble for us."

Shrugging, his redheaded girlfriend simply sauntered over to one of the various cabinets in the kitchen, and began rummaging through it. "S'fine with me… as long as it's relatively _quiet_. That means_ no _drums, _no _guitars, and _no musical instruments_." Seizing a bottle of aspirin, the slender girl made her way back towards the table.

As she approached, Shinji pulled out a chair for her, and seated his girlfriend. He offered a tiny smile, gently and covertly stroking her hair. The apologetic look in his eyes seemed to melt directly into Asuka's soul, as he sought forgiveness for providing the German with a splitting headache.

"If it's fine with you guys, I guess I can hang around a little longer. It's cool with that Misato bab- er… lady. Miss Misato, I meant." Kaworu received twin glares, both looking agitated. "What? At least I'm trying! I stopped myself, didn't I?" Asuka rolled her eyes, and Shinji simply chuckled a little bit. The guitarist muttered, "What? She's freakin' hot… What did ya expect me to say?"

Asuka stared carefully at the young man, noting the bandages around his neck. Still feeling somewhat guilty, she averted her eyes, and swallowed a few pills, calmly sipping at a glass of water. 'Why am _I _bitching about a headache? I hit Kaworu over the head with a laptop… If anybody, _he _should be complaining.' She sighed, as Shinji's finger continued to twirl a lock of hair around it, as his other digits served as a comb.

As Kaworu sat down, Shinji, resident man-slave, retrieved dinner, and prepared to serve his guest, and girlfriend. Kaworu glanced over at Pen-Pen and pet the penguin, murmuring, "You gotta be a saint to deal with this every day."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Tired, bloodshot eyes stared wearily into the computer screen, and thin, pale fingers wildly dashed across the keyboard, typing row after row of text.

Misato entered the dimly lit office, almost dancing it seemed. "Oh, _Rit_suko! I brought you some _cof_fee."

"Misato, you only bring me something if you're having troubles with _something_…" Ritsuko accepted the Styrofoam cup, and set it down next to her computer, muttering, "I just hope it isn't trouble with guys again…"

Grinning devilishly, as always, Misato said, "Oh, it sure is. Shinji just can't please me any more, so now it's me, Shinji and Asu-"

"Stop, stop, STOP!" Ritsuko sipped at her coffee and groaned, "You have mental problems… You know that, right? Don't even _joke_ about something like that… It's just, ugh…" The faux-blonde shivered at the disturbing thought, and said, "Now what's your _real _problem, Misato?"

"Shinji's friend, Ka-"

Slamming down her cup, Doctor Akagi, at this point flat out traumatized, shouted, "Misato! I told you to stop talking about that sort of thing!"

The dark haired woman simply chuckled, "I was actually being serious! The Commander ordered me to recruit this kid, and I just can't get a hold of him… Really irritating… He's supposed to be the Fifth Child."

"And you need my help… why?" Ritsuko continued blazing across the keyboard, as she continued to run through the MAGI systems, making sure that everything was in order.

"I don't. I just came here to bug you for a while." With a massive grin, Misato said, "It's a great stress reliever."

"Ugh, you're like a little kid… Speaking of little kids, don't you have a pair that _you_ need to take care of? You don't want them getting frisky all over your furniture, do you?"

"Oh, no need to worry. Shinji's a responsible kid."

Raising one eyebrow, Doctor Akagi simply said, "Asuka's Asuka… She can persuade him. Quite easily, I might add."

Knowing exactly what she meant, and the kind of persuasive power women held, especially somebody like Asuka over somebody like Shinji, Misato called to Ritsuko as she was halfway out the door, "I uh… I gotta run. You understand, right? Just going to make sure that everything's alright at home…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji watched Asuka visibly wince as the door slammed shut, and loud footsteps echoed through the hall. He could instantly tell that it was Misato, just because of the way she walked, and because he heard her red jacket hit the floor, like it did every_ other_ day. Like always, he'd have to pick it up, or else Misato would complain about not being able to find it in the morning.

"Shinji! Stop getting frisky with Asuka, and tell me where your friend is! I've been calling his place for over two damn hours, and can't get a hold of him. If I find out he's at home, and just not picking up the phone, I swear I'll kill that mother f-" Misato stopped dead in her tracks, and stared at the silver haired youth at the table, with a grin. Recovering as gracefully as possible, the woman offered a simple, "Uh… Hi, Kaworu."

The young man ran his eyes over her and shrugged, with the same elfin smirk plastered to his face. "I usually don't make house calls, but I'll make an exception." Winking, the young man fiddled with his shirt's collar.

"Ooh, so the little baby thinks he can play with the _big_ kids, does he?" Misato knelt down next to him and whispered into his ear, "I don't _think_ so." The playful seductress simply ruffled his already messed up hair, and sat down at the table, moving Pen-Pen into her lap.

Asuka simply shook her head, as she watched Shinji's friend and their guardian flirt shamelessly. 'This is insane… Misato's almost double his age! Ugh, that woman is so…'

Shinji sighed as he picked at his food. "Misato, I know how much you enjoy flirting with people my age, but if you don't eat soon, your food will get cold…"

"Aw, does poor, little Shinji feel left out? Would you like me to flirt with _you_ instead?" Misato completely turned, so she was facing a very flustered Shinji, and put her hand over top of his.

Shinji immediately turned beet red and stammered, "M-Misato! Stop it!"

'Heheh… he goes so ballistic. It's so fun to jerk his chain like that.' Misato sat back in her chair and gently stroked Pen-Pen's head, as he rested in her lap.

Rolling her eyes, the redhead, voice dripping with sarcasm, crossly said, "What about _me?_ I feel _so _left out, Misato. Please, _please_, flirt with _me_." Asuka picked up her glass of water and quietly sipped at it for a few moments.

"Ooh, don't tempt me like that, Asuka…" The older woman winked at the girl and made the most convincing pout possible. "Heheh, I might actually get _serious _with _you_." Misato scooted her chair closer to Asuka's, and threw an arm over her charge's shoulder. The Major rested her head on Asuka's other shoulder and made a gentle purring noise. "Oops… Looks like it's too late."

The German pilot, completely overwhelmed by Misato's actions, drew a blank. Sitting there, blushing heavily, Asuka sat and thought for a moment, trying to calm down. "S-Stop teasing me, Misato!"

"Aw, I'm sorry… Do you want the _real thing?_" The woman still had a devilish grin across her face as she terrorized her charges incessantly. She loved every bit of it. After all, you gotta find _some _way to unwind after a hard day at work.

A look of sheer horror spread across the young girl's face, as she immediately tried to get away from Misato. "What? N-No!" she screamed, clinging onto Shinji. "Shin_ji!_ Make her stop! She's creeping me out… and she's trying to put the moves on me!"

Though he held onto Asuka firmly, his voice was feeble as he weakly said, "Misato…"

Finally sated, Misato sat back down normally, with a grin. "It's so much fun to tease the both of you… Heheh… or _was _I just teasing?" The dark haired woman deliberately winked at Asuka.

Asuka immediately stood up and hid behind Shinji, dramatically saying, "Ew! We live with a lesbian pedophile! She's going to rape me in my sleep!"

Simultaneously, Shinji and Kaworu fainted, their heads smashing against the table.

Both women grinned deviously, and Asuka said, "They're so easy to get riled up… You're such a convincing actor, Misato."

Suppressing a smile, the older woman pretended to be completely ignorant of the issue, saying, "Actor? What to you mean? I was being serious."

"I know…" Asuka simply winked at her guardian and said, "Gimme a time and a place, and we can have ourselves a little party."

Misato stared at Asuka for a moment before falling over backwards, fainted.

Shaking her head, Asuka sighed, "I live with such amateurs… I guess age doesn't always bring experience. Heh… I love turning the tables on Misato like that…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"You're so… Ugh." Shinji rubbed his temples, and shook his head. "How come both of you have to tease me so much?" Frowning, Shinji folded his arms across his chest, and stared at the television.

Kaworu chuckled and leaned in the door frame, saying, "You know it just means they like you, right? They ain't bein' mean about it, you know? S'just friendly banter."

Asuka quietly sat down next to him and propped herself on Shinji's shoulder, "He's right, you know…" She scooted closer and whispered, "I do it because I love you, Shinji… Just lighten up already, will you? I don't like it when my little Shinji turns into a rain cloud… So cheer up!"

Misato also seated herself next to the boy and grinned, ruffling his short brown hair. "Aw… he's still embarrassed. That's so cute."

"Misato, cut it out! I don't like seeing Shinji frown." Asuka jabbed an accusatory finger into her guardian's shoulder, and pulled closer to the young man.

Kaworu smiled and thought to himself, 'He really hit the jackpot… Those two really care about him… not to mention being completely _smoking_.' Glancing at the clock, the young musician sighed, "Oh damn it… I gotta be runnin' along now. You know how it is… I should probably get outta here. I'm sorta worn out after today."

"Nonsense! Why don't you just stay the night?" Misato glanced at Shinji, and noticed the surprised look on his face, quickly adding, "I-If that's alright with Shinji, that is."

Snapping out of his despondent mood, the pilot of Unit-01 replied, "O-Of course. Why don't you stay tonight, Kaworu? It _is _a Friday, so…"

"I ain't gettin' outta this, am I?"

"No. Not really…" Asuka replied, staring intently at her fingernails. "For being such a "ladies' man" you really aren't comfortable staying at another person's home, are you?"

Scratching at his silvery locks, he shrugged, saying, "I've… never _stayed_ at another person's place before…"

Everyone but Shinji looked at him like an alien, and Asuka gaped, "_Never?_"

"I-It's not _that_ uncommon… I mean… I haven't either…" Shinji shifted uncomfortably as Misato and Asuka shook their heads, wondering how such a travesty could have occurred.

Amidst the awkward silence, a tiny beeping rang out, and the sound of machinery vibrating against skin was audible. Immediately, the silver haired youth yanked a cellular phone out of his pocket, and flipped it open. "What." It definitely didn't sound like a question. Apparently, Kaworu was less than enthusiastic to be receiving a call. Looking back to the trio on the couch, he said, "Sorry, I gotta take this," and walked out the front door, and into the warm night.

Kaworu leaned against the wall, and growled into his phone, "Why the hell are you calling me? You'd think that I made it clear. I don't want any of you assholes mixin' it up with my business."

"SEELE is most displeased with your tone of voice. We do not appreciate the delay in your actions."

Rolling his eyes, Kaworu snapped back, voice dripping with sarcasm, "Oh… I'm _terribly_ sorry. I'll get _right_ on that."

"Do not patronize this committee. You are to follow our orders, and proceed as planned."

"Yes, ma'am!" The young man stifled a full bout of laughter, as he imagined the faces of the whole committee, as he said his last remark.

"We can, and will not hesitate to compromise your true identity. With our resources, it is not out of the question to eliminate those that you regard as "friends". You are disposable to us, and irrelevant. We simply continue to use you, because of convenience's sake. You will proceed with the plan… Did I hear you address me as "ma'am"?"

Slumping to the ground, Kaworu, thoroughly shocked, simply said, "Uh… No. I… I said 'Yes, man'… I'll… proceed with the plan… very soon…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Kaworu sat with a blank expression on his face as he stared into space, not focusing on the movie that was on.

Everybody could see that something was wrong. Ever since he took that phone call, he had been withdrawn, quiet and reserved. He was pretty much generally un-Kaworu-ish.

Even as the credits began flashing on the screen, and the lights came back on, the young man still stared, not focused on anything. After a few tries, Misato finally brought him out of his mental seclusion. "Kaworu, I need to talk to you about some things…"

The boy faintly nodded, and rubbed at his eyes, trying to regain something of a semblance of his former self. "Depends on your definition of 'talk', heheh…"

"Look… I know that you're living alone here. I'm sure that you know of Shinji and Asuka's jobs, right? Well… I've been informed that- God… I hate talking like this so I'm gonna spit it out. NERV wants you to be the Fifth Child. I know it sorta seems random, but trying to diplomatically work it in is a pain in my ass, and I'd rather just flat out say it." Misato stared at him with determined eyes, completely shifting her demeanor from her lackadaisical attitude to strict business.

"Well, how're you gonna convince me?" With a wink, Kaworu grinned devilishly, "Got something _special _in mind?"

"Commander Ikari suggested pointing a gun at you, but I think we can solve this problem without that…" The woman slid a portfolio folder towards him, and said, "Just sign on the dotted line, if you're game."

Both Shinji and Asuka looked on in mild amazement, as the young man scribbled a signature down. The Third Child whispered, "Damn you… Father…"

Grinning widely, Misato shook his hand eagerly and cried, "Welcome to the team! You'll get your super fancy decoder ring in the mail in three to five weeks! This calls for a beer!"

Asuka darkly remarked, with the dry biting humor attributed to her in full force, "Misato, _everything _calls for a beer."

Misato and Asuka proceeded to get into an argument filled with sarcastic comments and biting retorts, as Shinji relocated to the seat next to Kaworu. "You know… You don't have to do this, Kaworu…"

"Yeah. I know." Seeming completely apathetic, he leaned back and relaxed among the pillows of the couch. "But right now, it just doesn't matter… Besides, I'll get to help you out, right? And what more would the girls want in a guy? Man, I was like Apollo before this, but now, I'm just going to be a flat out Adonis. Hordes of women will get in line to get a glance at me."

Though he laughed jovially, Shinji saw that it was a hollow laugh. Something was really bothering Kaworu… and to do that, it must be incredibly monumental.

Through the playful bickering of Asuka and Misato, Kaworu frowned on the inside. 'I have to do this… If I don't, all of you… each one of you will be in your graves… At least… you'll still be alive for…' He left the thought incomplete, still clinging onto the hope that his tribulations would pass him by.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Asuka's eyes quickly opened, sensing that something was out of place. Disentangling herself from Shinji's firm embrace, she rose from the couch, and looked to the other couch, instantly noting the lack of a body.

A silhouette of a person seeped into the room, due to the soft moonlight pouring in from the balcony. Standing in utter silence, Kaworu was slumped over the railing, hands folded in front of him, and face pointed towards the ground. The night was warm, and he was dressed in a simple pair of black pants, as he had been trying to sleep for a while, obviously, to no avail.

Quietly, Asuka slid open the door, and stepped out, feeling the cool tiles against her bare feet. She stood silently next to the young man, seeing how his eyes were shut tightly, as he remained in place. "Couldn't sleep?"

Kaworu changed his position, erecting himself to his full height, and staring into the radiant moon. "Something like that…"

A few uncomfortable moments of silence passed between the two, as even the night seemed to hold its breath.

Completely transfixed on the moon, Kaworu remained still, even as Asuka cocked her head to the left, so that she could look at him. Something had changed about him… There was something that just seemed so… _off_. As the redhead stared, she thought she saw a few droplets of glistening liquid in his eyes, but simply wrote it off to the moonlight.

"Have… you ever had that… feeling?"

Asuka chuckled nervously, attempting to dispel the depressing mood dampening her spirits. "What feeling? I have a few, you know…"

"The feeling where… everything's so bad that it makes you want to vomit… Life's blowing up in your face. You're forced to make a decision… when there wasn't ever a choice." Kaworu still remained perfectly still, not turning his head, but simply stared directly at the celestial body in the sky.

"Yes," Asuka replied, barely above a whisper, "I… have… Why do you want to know?"

Shaking his head, he somberly murmured, "I've been havin' that feeling all night…"

"Um… If you don't mind me asking… _Why?_" The redhead pulled the robe around her body more closely, and inquisitively stared at the young man.

"It's… personal… Extremely personal… I just… It's overwhelming… There's no way I can deal with it. Both choices suck. I'm royally screwed both ways… It's like a choice between… being shot in the front or the back… Either way, you're still going to die." Letting out an exasperated sigh, Kaworu turned and flung himself into a chair out on the balcony, burying his face in his hands.

Asuka stood still for a moment, before saying, "If you're feeling overwhelmed… it helps to just talk to somebody… Never thought I'd be playing counselor… But… I know that you can always count on me and Shinji. I may not seem like the nicest person, but I… I just know the feeling enough that… I just might be able to help…"

"Thanks for dealing with me… I… I appreciate this, Asuka. I don't know what I'd have done if I didn't have anyone to talk to…" He stood up and faced the girl, closing the distance between the two of them. For a moment, he held out both arms, as if expecting a hug, before awkwardly dropping one arm, and extending the other, deciding that a handshake would be more appropriate.

As the girl shook his hand, she stared straight into his red irises, seeing the acute sadness and confusion laced within them. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah…" Kaworu turned back towards the moon, and stared, before finishing his sentence. "I'm just going to stay out here for a little while longer… Sort some things out."

The German girl turned away and opened the door again, preparing to enter back into the apartment. Standing on the threshold, Asuka quietly said, "It's… It's not wrong to cry, Kaworu…"

As he heard the door close, Kaworu slumped to his knees, tears freely flowing. "This… isn't easy to admit… I just don't think I'm believing it…"

Remaining in the pale moonlight, the young man spoke up, to nobody in general, as though spreading his innermost thoughts before the eyes of God. "I'm afraid this time."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shinji awoke to the sight of Asuka's vibrant blue eyes staring directly into his own. Before he could react, the girl kissed him gently on the lips, whispering, "Good morning, Shinji."

"I… I love you, Asuka." Shinji's face flushed scarlet, and he hugged the girl, before sitting up on the couch. His eyes rested on Kaworu, who was sprawled across his couch, eyes closed. The only sign of life from the young man was the gentle rising and falling of his chest. "Asuka… I think there's something wrong with him."

"There is." The girl shifted her position, and tucked her leg underneath her body, and let the other drop to the floor. "Something's definitely affecting him. He was really acting differently yesterday."

"I think it might be the… Evas… I know _I _was scared, when I became a pilot… Maybe that's it…" Shinji stood up, and headed down the hallway, making a right, into the bathroom. The quiet pattering of the shower sputtered to life after a few moments.

Letting out a large yawn, Asuka got herself up and entered her own room, thinking to herself, 'Yeah… Maybe… but he was really bugged by _something_… I guess we'll just see how he is today…'

Left alone in the family room, Kaworu shot up like a bullet, dripping with sweat. He wiped his brow, and covered his face with one hand, the other steadying his body. He could feel his arms and legs quiver, and his abs contract as he shivered, despite the warm room. He quickly wiped himself dry with his discarded shirt and breathed deeply, attempting to calm his nerves.

Standing on unsteady legs, he walked like a zombie down the hall. He heard the shower stop, and saw Shinji exit, covered by a towel. "Mornin', dude. You done in there?" Kaworu motioned to the bathroom, and leaned on the door frame.

Shinji was distracted by the appearance of the young man, noting the tired look on his face, and a few beads of sweat that hadn't been wiped away. "Yeah… Are… Are you alright, Kaworu?"

"No prob, man. I'm just tired still. Shower'll wake me right up." Flashing him a grin, the silver haired boy slipped into the bathroom, and quickly disrobed, stepping into the shower. Though he seemed incredibly skinny, Kaworu was actually built like a rock, head to toe of sinewy muscle. With a flick of the wrist, he turned on the faucet.

"Son of a bitch! What the hell kind of shower is _this?!_ Do you people bathe in acid?! I think my skin's _burning_ _off_!" Fumbling with the knob, he turned down the heat on the shower, until it was a comfortable level. "Christ… Water should _not _get that hot."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Dude, if I was gay, and Asuka didn't already take you, I would literally love you." Kaworu continued shoveling food into his mouth, as Shinji had prepared a massive breakfast for everybody at the table.

Giggling, Misato said, "What? You're _not _gay?"

"If I'm gay, then you're a lesbian." Kaworu grinned toothily, and continued his assault on his food, taking in as much as possible. Apparently _somebody_ never eats breakfast.

"Hey! There's nothing wrong with being a lesbian."

The young man burst into laughter, firing back with, "Heh, yeah, but you'd be like one of those Russian bull dykes, with the gigantic muscles. You know, they lift cars for fun. Your voice would probably be real low, and you'd be able to grow a full beard. That's the sort of lesbian you'd be."

Cringing, Misato resigned her argument, saying, "Ugh… after that dyke comment… Okay, you're not gay, and I'm not a lesbian."

Clearing her throat, Asuka said, "I'd _really_ appreciate it if you guys didn't talk about that sort of thing while I'm _eating_… I don't particularly feel like vomiting all over you."

Misato smirked deviously, saying, "What? You wouldn't like to think about manly women and lesbians? I'm sure that the MAGI could give you a detailed history of le-"

"You know, the beginning of shut the hell up reminds me of…" Asuka paused for a moment, pretending to think really hard, before shouting, "_Shut the hell up!_"

"I didn't raise you to speak like that, young lady!" Misato chided, wagging a finger at the redhead, like a disappointed mother.

"Heheh… I smell a catfight coming on." Kaworu sat back and waited for the explosion from Asuka.

Shinji, due to months of training, played the perfect part of diplomat, handing Misato another beer, saying, "Need a refill, Misato?"

Their guardian, easily distracted, completely forgot about her previous comments, and instead focused on her alcoholic drink.

Kaworu pushed his empty plate towards the middle of the table, and stood up. "I should get outta here. I have to go see somebody today. I promised I would, and I _do not _break my promises." The boy gathered his things together, slung his guitar over his shoulder, and bowed slightly to the trio of the Katsuragi residence. "Thanks for dealin' with me for longer than you had to… And thanks for the food. I appreciate it, Shinji."

Everyone said their goodbyes to the young man, and returned to eating their own breakfast, however Kaworu still stood there, staring at Asuka, his eyes bearing holes into the top of her head.

As the girl looked up, she saw him slowly nod at her, and mouth the words, "Thank you…"

The German pilot also nodded, recognizing the importance of his words, and returned to eating, as the young man left the apartment.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Pale fingers nimbly flitted through the pages of a thick book, as scarlet irises followed along with the text. Every few seconds, the fair skinned girl would steal a glance towards the door, as if expecting a visitor.

As the door swung open, Kaworu sauntered in, dressed in a new set of clothes and looking fully refreshed after being at the Katsuragi apartment. Still, the bandages around his neck remained, staying firmly in place.

"I see that your wounds are healing. That is acceptable."

"Yep, sure are… but damn… Those guys didn't have to go and _tranquilize_ me." The young man plopped down in the single chair near her bedside, and looked at her carefully. The more he looked, the more he contemplated what he had to do. 'I have to do what SEELE says… I couldn't live with myself if they went and- No… I just have to do what they say. At least everybody will be safe then…' And for a moment, a twang of sadness swirled within his eyes, like a vortex of lightning.

Rei's piercing red eyes locked with Kaworu's as she stared directly into his soul. Deep within, she knew that something was perturbing him. It was as though she could just _sense_ it, rather than anything else. "There is something wrong. What is it?"

"It's… nothin'. Don't worry about it, m'kay?" Kaworu scooted the chair closer and smiled at the bedridden pilot, saying, "So how've you been, Snow?"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Chairman Keel sat at his desk, calmly speaking into a tiny microphone. "I do not believe we can fully trust the boy... Perhaps we should ensure that things go according to The Scenario."

The man turned off the microphone and sat in silent contemplation. 'The success of the Seventeenth is irrelevant… Either way, SEELE _will_ engineer Third Impact.'

* * *

**Author's Notes**: There's one more I can tack up to the chalk board. We're getting pretty close to the end, ladies and gentlemen. We'll see how it goes from here.

**Outtakes**

**-**

**Comeback**

Both Shinji and Asuka stared on in amazement at their guardian. She was towering over them like a mountain, muscles bulging.

"Misato… You look like… You look like-"

"Like a transvestite of Arnold Schwarzenegger, with purple hair and a beard."

"A-Asuka's right, Arno- er, Misato."

The older woman smirked and said, "Well, Kaworu said I'd look like this if I was a lesbian, right? Well, Asuka… How about it? Want to-" Before she could finish, both of her charges completely fainted, scared for their lives.

Pulling out a piece of paper, Misato marked off another tally under her name, totaling her at twenty-six, while Asuka was at thirty-four. "Heheh… I smell a comeback."

**Hitbird**

Kaworu grinned as he listened to the bloodcurdling screams of the chairmen of SEELE. Every now and then, he'd catch a squawking sound in there, but mainly, the screams drowned it out.

Chairman Keel's voice rang out in the background, "Wh-Whatever he paid you, I'll double it! T-Triple it! Q-Qua-"

The voice was cut short by a metallic slicing noise, like a razor shaving hair off of a chin.

"I guess he really _was _worth the money I paid… heheh."


	12. Fragility

**Foreword**: WARNING! There is some explicit language. If you can't handle it, don't read it please. Also, I took a few liberties in the order of birth for the Angels. Basically, I'm saying, in this, that Kaworu was Adam and Lilith's first child.

**A VERY Special Thanks To**: Draknal, as always. He's a brilliant, and punctual proofreader, usually getting it completely proofread within an hour or so, despite his schedule. Everybody should thank him! Now, I'd like to thank Bryan, my friend, as well, since he did all he could to get on me about writing this… He's the one who basically forced me to work through my Writer's Block… Thanks a bunch, man. But also, I want to thank my readers, who've been patient with my sporadic updates. No pun intended either.

**Just a Little Note**: Okay, some person decided to say that Kaworu was some form of self insertion. Whoever you are, Kaworu is _not _a self-insert at all. I just wanted to have some fun with him, since I like him. I'm not forcing you to read this, you know…

* * *

"I really gotta do this…" Kaworu stared straight at the pale elevator doors, as though they were the gates of Hell. Their pristine paintjob added to the queasiness of Kaworu's stomach, with the silence clawing at his ears.

Staring down at the crimson card in his hands, he realized that he was shaking… shaking uncontrollably. His fingers twitched, and his hands quivered, while his whole arms trembled, and his body shook. The earthquake within his body was maxing out, and shattering the Richter scale.

"I… I'm gonna die… I'm gonna die… I'm-" His voice caught in his throat, as he pressed his head against the cool, steel doors. He closed his eyes tightly, hoping, praying even, that this was just a sick dream, and that it wasn't happening.

It was.

When he opened his eyes, he could feel the sweat drenching his body. He could feel his own mental anguish vividly, as though it was compressing him into a single atom. He felt the stinging of sweat dripping into his eyes, and realized that it was all a red haze.

As he stepped into the elevator, after swiping his card, Kaworu wiped some of the sweat away from his brow. Glancing down at his pale arm, he noticed the thin streams of blood on it. "I… I'm sweating blood? Wh… What the hell?!"

The silver haired boy pulled off his black shirt, and stared at his formerly white undershirt. Using the long sleeved shirt to whisk the bloody sweat off of his body, he discarded it in the corner of the elevator, as he continued his descent into Terminal Dogma.

His stained red shirt stuck to his trim body like a moist towel. 'I'm… I'm gonna die, but… but I can still do the right thing… can't I? If I do this… it'll… It'll make everybody happy, won't it?'

"What should I do…? What should I do?!"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

_My son… Welcome back… My son… Return to me… Become one with me… Let the world be reborn… I wish to have all of my children back…I can protect their very existence…_

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

The thick, steel doors of the elevator split open, giving way to Terminal Dogma. Stepping directly out of the vertical carriage, Kaworu stared stonily at the massive crucified figure on the gargantuan scarlet cross. The glimmering shaft of a bronze colored object caught the eye of the young man.

With calm, even steps, Kaworu walked towards his fate, and his final judgment. The terrors of death still raced across his brain, and plagued his mind, showing visions of pure pain inside of his mind. Once again, he could feel the cold sweat tinged with blood trickling down his forehead, matting down the hair closest to his face.

Kaworu smirked and wiped the blood away, "I don't give a damn." A white hot light began to shine through his chest, with a faint red outline, as his "heart" began to kick into action. Orange waves of energy began to emanate forth from him, spilling out like a thick fog.

Though sirens and lights flashed and wailed, Kaworu simply stood there, glaring defiantly into the masked eyes of the behemoth he believed to be Adam, the first Angel.

"You aren't… Adam… You're Lilith, aren't you? Whatever, not like I care. As long as it gets the job done, right?" The young man stepped forward once again, and stood on the cement ledge, just before the Sea of LCL separating himself from what he now knew to be Lilith. Sadness tinged in his eyes, he began to gently float towards her.

He saw as a giant hole appeared within Lilith, and a pure white hand reached out for him, ready to take him in. Sighing in resignation, the young man quietly relayed his final wishes, "Just… just look after them, will you? He… may be a bit timid at times, but he's a good kid… She acts like a psycho and seems real tough, but she's got a heart of gold… And… Make sure to give my Snow Globe a good shake or two."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Shooting open like darts, steely scarlet eyes speedily spread their sights across the room. Something had disturbed the pale girl from her sleep, however it didn't seem to be on a physical level. Everything in her room was just as she had left it.

An impending sense of danger and catastrophe slithered over her body, like thousands of tiny worms, an arctic chill wracking her lithe and slender body. She could feel a slight pressure inside of her head, like somebody was pressing a finger against her eyeball. It was the same dull ache that she felt whenever an Angel was present… But it was different. It wasn't the same. Rei had a bad feeling about this.

"Something is… … … wrong."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Letting out a prolonged sigh, Shinji relaxed himself under the steamy waters spouting forth from the showerhead. It was always a soothing experience to be in the waters. Before his time with Misato, he hadn't really taken time to enjoy such trivial activities like showering, but since his breezy guardian had convinced him to slow down and take life in, he had found himself more apt to take pleasure in the little things in life.

His eyes softly closed, and he leaned against the warmed tiles of the shower. From outside in the hall, the young man heard a rustling, and could tell that somebody was standing there. "Asuka… If that's you, stop trying to peek in on me… and Misato, if that's _you_, Asuka will call the police or something… Besides, we all know you'd rather be peeking in on her."

"Shinji Ikari! That is absolutely disgusting!" Yep… It was definitely Asuka. "And besides… I wasn't trying to peek in on you. I was just walking by… Oh well… I guess you wouldn't want that _surprise_ I planned for you." Her words were seductive as ever, as they filtered through the door.

Immediately, Shinji's eyes popped open, and he glanced around the shower curtain, to make sure that the door was still closed. "That's very… er… nice, Asuka… Actually, after hearing that, I'm not sure if I want to come out."

"Aw, come on, Shinji. Everybody loves surprises… especially when it's one from somebody as great as _me_." Shinji shivered, as he imagined every motion that he knew his girlfriend could possibly be making. To be frank, it scared him.

"Uh… I think I'm… you know, _safer_ in here…" Regardless of what he was saying, Shinji still stepped out of the shower, and dried himself off.

"Erhalten Sie Ihren Esel aus hier, jetzt gleich, Dummkopf! Arghh! Idiot!"

"Err… Asuka? Um… Could you repeat that, but in Japanese? I'm sorry… I don't speak German." Shinji smiled faintly, envisioning the flustered look on Asuka's face. She only got that way when she was irritated… and Shinji found it quite cute… Just like when she lapsed into German. He quickly pulled on a pair of sweat pants, and silently counted to himself. 'She'll bust through the door in about… hmm… five. Four. Three. Two. On-'

Growling, the redhead stomped a foot impatiently, and folded her arms across her chest. "I _said_, Get out here _NOW!_ You know what?! Never mind, Shinji! I'm coming _in_!" She quickly grabbed hold of the door and slid it open, to be greeted by a half clothed boy. "Humph. At least you had the decency to get dressed before greeting a lady… especially one as beautiful as myself."

Cheekily smiling, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed, "Asuka… Beautiful is an understatement, and you know it."

Caught in a moment between irked and elated, Asuka simply opted to toss her arms around Shinji, and whisper a few words of gratitude.

"So… what did you want to show me? What was that surprise you were talking about?" Shinji let his hand slip downward, tracing a line along her arm, before finally gripping her hand in his own.

Slyly grinning at him, she quickly said, "Well now, I'm not so sure I should let you have it…" After a few moments, her smile vanished, and instead, it was replaced by an inquisitive frown, and she quietly said, "Hey Shinji… do you remember back before we were… you know, together? You said I only wanted to be your friend in secret… What… What do you think about that now?"

He carefully and affectionately, pushed the flaming locks hair out of her face, saying "Asuka… That's all behind us now… But now, I'd say that you're my best friend in the world… and a person that I treasure more than myself, not to mention a person I gladly share my love with. Uh oh… I'm running out of things to say, but you get my point, right? So… what brought all that on?"

"Nothing… I just like it when you tell me things like that. It makes me feel good. I already know you feel that way, it's just… I dunno, reassuring to hear it directly from your mouth."

As Shinji opened his mouth to say something, the sirens outside began loudly ringing, signifying an Angel attack. The young man shut his mouth, and motioned towards the door with his head, and began on his way.

The fiery German girl whipped him around and kissed him softly, yet passionately. When they parted, she whispered into his ear, "Überraschung, Shinji!" She also began her own path towards the door, and looked over her shoulder, winking, "That means 'Surprise'."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Kaworu could feel his body drifting in the air, gently being pulled towards a source of heat. From what he could tell, He was going to be absorbed by Lilith soon enough, and he would have initiated Third Impact.

'And… everyone will be happy.' With a sigh he braced himself for any type of disturbance, not sure how things would feel. 'They'll all be happy, right? … Will _I _be happy? Will everybody be happy when they're basically dead? They wouldn't be able to make decisions… They'd…'

Feeling the cool fingers of Lilith wrap around his body, Kaworu's eyes instantly snapped open. With the conviction of all of humanity in his voice, Kaworu gave substance to the defiant decree of each person. "NO!" Clenching his eyes shut tightly, Kaworu valiantly shouted, with every fiber of his being reinforcing his bold decree. His swirling AT Field rippled, and gathered to him, before exploding outward, completely obliterating the extended arm of the Angel, shattering it into millions of pieces.

The whispers of humanity scourged his will ceaselessly, worse than any pestilence seen by man. Every one of them had thoughts, desires, hopes, and dreams. Every one of them had one thing on their mind… Live. They wanted to live.

As his eyes slowly reopened, he stared back at Lilith, who was still in her place. There was no hole. Her arms were still spread outward, pinned up to the massive, crimson cross. "Was it… Was it all my imagination?" He stared directly at the crucified Angel, and narrowed his eyes.

From the confines of his pocket, he heard the melodious ringing of his cellular phone. The young Angel brought it to his ear, and simply said, "Fuck off. I ain't gonna do your shit this time, so you can get your haggard asses out here and do this shit yourselves."

"The council is not amused with your games… However, we were not without a backup plan. As we speak, the completed Evangelion series is advancing on your position. Third Impact will be initiated. You were merely an irrelevant tool… a simple toy for amusement. And like all toys, you must be broken… just as your friends must be."

"Listen up, robo-bitch! If you mess with me or my friends, you'll fucking die! Hear me?! Lay one hand on Rei, or the others, and I'll make you wish you had a mechanical _everything!_" Kaworu screamed angrily into the receiver, rage fueling his threats.

"Be quiet, like a good child. Waste must be removed, and you are waste."

Throwing the phone into the glistening, orange water, Kaworu shook with anger, scenarios running through his head over all of the terrible things that could happen to him, but more importantly, his friends.

Gusts of air assailed him, as a group of nine white Evangelions fluttered into Terminal Dogma, via various shafts lining the ceiling. Before he could react, Kaworu found himself batted out of the air due to a powerful stroke from a wing from his adversaries. Their lipsticked grins looked on hungrily as they saw Kaworu crack down on the cement island in front of Lilith.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Ritsuko Akagi and Misato Katsuragi both looked on in horr- well… More like Ritsuko looked on in horror, as the computers detected a total of ten Absolute Terror fields in Terminal Dogma. Misato simply stared over the doctor's shoulder, trying to make sense of the jumble of words, numbers, and symbols.

Misato scratched at her scalp, and let her fingers gently slide through her luxurious hair, "Uhh… Ritsuko? What the heck does all this mumbo-jumbo mean? All I know is that I think I saw a drawing of an eyeball in there somewhere…"

As Misato took a sip of coffee, the faux-blonde doctor stared completely wide eyed at her, leaning against the computer terminal for support. "This is… Oh my God… There are ten A.T. Fields in Terminal Dogma…"

Major Katsuragi instantly spit out her coffee and cried, "Whaa?! Ten!? Are you positive?! Th-That's impossible! There's only supposed to be one Angel left! How can there be _ten _fields?! Are you sure the MAGI aren't broken?"

"Major Katsuragi, the MAGI are fine…" The hoarse, deep voice of Commander Ikari rang out on the command bridge, as his dark presence seemed to shroud him even more thickly than before. "Instruct the pilots to prepare for hand to hand combat… There is no need for using any guns in such close quarters."

"Y-Yes sir… right away."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"I thought I told you…" Kaworu growled, as he picked himself up from the ground, blood freely dripping from his forehead. "Don't _fuck with my PERSONAL SHIT!_" The young man raised an arm towards Lilith's figure, and stared intently at the massive Lance of Longinus lodged in her chest.

The spiraling shaft of the gleaming weapon began to quiver, and slowly dislodge itself, until the whole of the weapon was suspended in the air, glistening droplets of LCL dripping off of the keen tip. Gradually, it moved closer and closer to the young man, retracting and becoming smaller as it went, so that it was proportional to him. A savage fire glowed deep within the demonically crimson eyes of Kaworu, and he felt the weapon rest itself against his palm, feeling the cool, twisted metal of the shaft.

Glaring in a semi-circle, Kaworu instantly focused on the nine ashen Evangelions. Twirling the spear in his hand, he shot forward like a dart, carving off limbs of the hulking adversaries. Since he was exponentially smaller than them, he was able to slip between the Evangelions with the ease of a gentle zephyr, and then turn and unleash the raging torrent of fury. As he hacked through two of the Mass Produced Evas, Kaworu grinned fiendishly. Running his fingers through his hair, the young man wiped the splatters of blood from his silvery locks.

Spinning through the air like a twister, albeit one with a sharp as hell lance, Kaworu clipped a fourth Evangelion in the throat before completely severing the head from its shoulders.

As the remaining five surrounded him like vultures, circling their prey, He simply shouldered the lance horizontally across his shoulders, arrogantly saying, "Come on… If I just dropped four of you bastards that quick, I don't think y'all will be any trouble…" He smirked viciously, as he glimpsed the floating, mangled and minced pieces of the four Evangelions that he had massacred. "Now come on, you mass-produced transvestite pieces of shit… I need to teach those SEELE fuckers a lesson they won't forget!"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Like we really needed _you _telling us that, Misato…" Asuka rolled her eyes and reclined in the Entry Plug. She and her best friend would have to wait for a while, as their respective Evangelions were transported down an elevator shaft, into Terminal Dogma. "Besides, when do our normal guns _ever _help us kill Angels? We always end up having to stab the arschloch with our Progressive knives… Right, Shinji?"

"Hm…" He simply stared through the gossamer screens inside the Entry Plug, carefully and fretfully taking in as many details as he could. Though his eyes were frantically darting to and fro, Shinji had simply spaced out.

Seductively whispering, Asuka gently tapped on the screen of his picture, saying, "Shinji, dear… Are you listening? Hey, come on, idiot." Growling in frustration as she saw that her delicate diplomatic endeavors failed, the redhead punched the screen and shouted at him, "Dummkopf! Pay attention!"

"Hm? O-Oh… My bad… Sorry about that, Asuka. I was just…" His voice trailed off and once again, the young man assumed a wistful position, with a sad and distracted look in his eyes.

Asuka glared at her partner, angry that he was so distracted merely moments before they were to go into combat. "Well?! Just what?!"

"I… thought Kaworu was supposed to… you know…" Shifting uncomfortably under his girlfriend's baleful stare, he slowly continued his sentence, "join us? Isn't he the Fifth Child?"

"Oh stop worrying… I bet they just don't have an Eva for him. Just relax, things'll be fine. They always are…" Winking at him through her bright blue eyes, the girl laughed softly, "After all… You have me to protect you."

Over the grinding of the gears, and the noisy descent of the elevator, a pair of strident snarls sang their shrill song of sorrow, supplemented by sharp stitches of shrieking, like an animal caught in the jaws of death.

Nervously chuckling, Asuka quietly said, "Uhhh… Um… Okay, maybe we should worry a _tiny _bit…"

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

Chest heaving, Kaworu's drooping body gently floated in front of Lilith, with his back turned to her. Glaring defiantly into the demonic eyes of the Mass Produced Evangelion Units, the young man haughtily sneered, "I already hacked six of you bastards into pieces! What's three more?!" Tightening his grip on the true Lance of Longinus, he drew it back behind himself, readying himself for the inevitable rush of his foes.

The three final Evangelions loomed over the tiny boy, and one of them flapped its wings quickly, darting towards Tabris, better known as Kaworu.

Leaning back, the Seventeenth Angel whipped his whole body in a full circle, using his body's momentum to bring the twin pronged spear up, and half the charging, white behemoth. The acute edge of the mahogany colored lance easily slashed through the Mass Produced Evangelion Unit. Letting the shaft slip through his hand for a while, he gripped it by the very end of the staff, and spun once more, allowing the whizzing blade to gain the maximum amount of torque as he slashed horizontally through the center of the beast.

Kaworu grinned as droplets of red blood slid down the razor-edged blade, and the Eva fell into the ocean of LCL below him. "Heh, what a bunch of pushov-URGH!" Another splash of crimson washed over him, like a cresting wave. From his chest and just above the navel, he could feel two cool spires of steel tearing through him, and a spurt of blood erupting from the points that the spikes ripped through his back.

With the speed of a lightning bolt, Kaworu was impaled, and the projectile, incidentally a copy of his own weapon, carried him all the way back against his own Mother, spearing both of them. Letting loose a hacking cough, blood streamed forth from his wounds, and from his mouth. Through the cough, there seemed to be an impudent laugh still carried through his voice. "Y-You assholes… Don't w-worry… You're gonna g-get what you d-deserve. I'd rather _die_ than give you control of my life! _FUCK YOU!_" With one final burst of strength, Kaworu sent his own spear towards the Evangelion that had delivered the fatal strike to him. Crackling and whizzing through the air as though it was a liquid bullet of quicksilver, the Lance of Longinus flew true to its path, and tore a gaping hole through the chest of his killer. "_NOW!_" he cried, using his failing voice.

Immediately, the Evangelion that he had struck seemed to spasm uncontrollably, and exploded in an orgy of blood, as its S2 engine self-destructed within it.

Eyes still blazing with defiance, he stared at the final Evangelion, as his vision blurred, and his eyelids slowly drooped shut. Garbed in tattered clothes, soaked through with blood, the scarlet liquid gently poured down his body in rivulets, and beads gradually dripped from his fingertips. As consciousness slipped away from him, a final rebellious sigh escaped from his lips. Kaworu Nagisa, in spite all of his hardened demeanor, and tough exterior, was still subject to his human-esque body, and all of its fragilities.

Had he merely been able to fight the icy hand of death back for only a few more moments, Kaworu would have been able to see the forms of both a red, and a purple giant appearing from the shadows.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

A splash of scarlet washed over Shinji, as he looked on in horror at the carnage sown in Terminal Dogma. The eviscerated carcasses of white Evangelion units bobbed up and down on the rolling waves in the huge pool of LCL in front of Lilith.

"Mein Gott… Who… _What _could've done all of _this_?" Asuka whispered to herself, still looking around in amazement.

"Kaworu?! KAWORU?!?!" Shinji bellowed, as his eyes focused on Lilith, only to see the slumped form of his friend pinned to the massive Angel, via a twin pronged lance through his body. An intense conflagration of misery and rage erupted within Shinji, as he stared at the pinned child, insolently smirking, as though he had still won, despite dying. Vision blurring, Shinji let out a sorrowful scream, continually uttering the name of his fallen friend as a mantra.

Tears slipped down Asuka's pale cheeks as she stared at the young man, and the sacrifice he had made. Over the intercom, she could hear Ritsuko's voice explaining the true nature of Kaworu… and also alerting them to the fact that they weren't out of danger just yet.

Nothing.

Nothing got through to Shinji.

It was all just feedback noise, as he sat in his silent little world of pain and solitude. His tear streaked eyes rolled over to the final Evangelion Unit, who was circling Kaworu still, as though waiting to eat him, like the vulture it seemed to be.

"I'll kill you… I'll fucking kill you… I'll… kill… you… FUCKING BASTARD!" Shinji slammed on his controls in a primal rage, and Unit-01 responded likewise, sending itself into Berserker mode. Feeling his synch ratio rise, the usually stoic pilot whipped himself into a frenzy, launching himself upon his foe, having no regard for anything else.

Asuka could do nothing but watch, as the one she loved regressed into an animal, and viciously tore away at his enemy.

Kaworu's smirk seemed to fade, as his arms and legs dangled and swayed in the wind. Black and blue, broken boned, and pierced, Kaworu was simply left where he was, hair, though smeared with blood, still fluttering in the breeze.

And though it could have been the product of an overactive imagination, an imperceptible glow gently resonated, like tiny snowflakes of energy swirling around, until finally hitting the liquid blood of Lilith.

Over the horrific sounds of carnage and battle, Kaworu's lips curled upward ever so slightly, into a placid smile, as though he had finally found peace…

But it was all just a trick of the light…

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"That irksome boy… He proved to be more of a nuisance than we had counted on… Unfortunately, our manipulations have failed… This was not according to the scenario…" Chairman Keel's voice echoed in the room with the monoliths, as he conversed with the rest of SEELE. "We shall have to try again at another time… We shall have to wait and strike quickly, and effectively. Now that Tabris is dead, we will easily be able to crush Ikari's unstable son, and bend him to our will. At least we can trust our intelligence on _him_… Such a lonely child will be easy to manipulate."

After a pregnant silence, he spoke once more, "The last of the Eva Series is doomed… there is nothing we can do about that, however, we are clear of blame. NERV has no way of possibly linking us to this."

As the monoliths slowly faded from sight, Keel's mechanically ghastly voice rang out one final time. "Third Impact has not been averted… only delayed."

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

_Where are my children?_

Kaworu felt warmth envelope him completely, and he felt all his pain melt away. Splattered with blood, the young Angel's leaden eyelids gradually opened, revealing the crimson orbs behind them.

_Is it only you? Are you the only one who wished to return?_

He couldn't even speak. When he tried, he felt himself choke on his own words. Awestricken that he was still alive, the Angel stared at the mind numbing white of the realm he was stuck in.

_So even you did not wish to return…Can my children truly exist without me? We shall see… And what about you, Tabris, who is called Kaworu? Can you live without me?_

Kaworu's eyes deadened and the sharp needle of death stitched him into the background, making his body dissipate into tiny particles. He had vanished completely.

_You were my firstborn… You were the first to return… We shall always be together, Tabris… or Kaworu, if you prefer…You are my firstborn, and also my lastborn…_

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Well….. Uhh… There you have it. The end. And I'm serious about that. HOWEVER, I will be writing a follow-up story to this. You'll have to really stay tuned to find it. I'm not sure when I'll get around to writing it, but I will! I promise you guys! If you all want me to, I can post an announcement at the end of this story, once I get the new one up!

**Bonus**: You get bonus points if you can guess what the condition that Kaworu was experiencing (where you sweat blood), and what causes it. The causes are pretty obvious, but then again, I'm the one writing it, so it may be harder than I'd think.

**Outtakes**

**-**

**Intruding Transmission**

From the confines of his pocket, he heard the melodious ringing of his cellular phone. The young Angel brought it to his ear, and simply said, "Fuck off. I ain't gonna do your shit this time, so you can get your haggard asses out here and do this shit yourselves."

All he got in response was a tiny beep, and an animatronics voice resounding through the speakers, with its metallic qualities highlighted, "Hello, Mr. Nagisa. We are calling in lieu of Senator Takashi, who is very interested in having your vote this upcoming election. Please help to ensure another great term in office!"

"I can't even vote, you fuckhead! I'm like, fifteen!" Kaworu angrily snapped his phone shut, and silently seethed.

Again the phone rang, and he placed it against his ear, curtly saying, "What?"

"Hello, Mr. Nagisa. W-" _Snap_. The phone was closed once again, yet the ring tone continued playing.

Kaworu simply opened the phone and shut it once more, allowing him to seethe in silence, without interruption.

(-(-(-(-.-)-)-)-)

"Well? What did he say?"

"I… don't know… That troublesome child hung up on me…………… This was not part of the scenario……."

-

**Let there be Bird-er… Peace… Yes… Peace on Earth.**

Third Impact… It was a lot different than he imagined… Kaworu gazed around at all of the dead bodies lying around, and frowned. This wasn't how it was supposed to be… Who would've wanted something so messed up? Kaworu's thoughts hadn't driven this… monstrosity. He just wanted to see what would happen, you know? Curiosity got the better of him… and it was doing so once again. He wanted to know _why _things were this way.

A harsh squawking made him droop his head, and let out a massive sigh. Pen-Pen, wielding his razor edged switchblade, laughed ma- How can a penguin laugh? Hell if he knew… It just happened. Anyway, Pen-Pen laughed maliciously, and wiped blood off of his knife, before stepping over the mutilated carcass of both Shinji and Asuka.

"Dude… Not cool." With that said, Kaworu turned on his heel and bolted away as fast as he could possibly run.


End file.
